Project Chibi Dark
by TheSilentThief
Summary: Sequel to Project Chibi Light. Let's just say what goes around comes around.... Shounen-ai MxM YxY BxR COMPLETE
1. What Goes Around Comes Around

Hello! Welcome to my sequel! If you haven't read the first, go do that now. *waits* Now that you've read the first one, (you better have,) we can go on with the sequel. I know I promised another chapter in the first one, but I ran into block. So here's the sequel!

YD: My hikari doesn't own YGO in any way, shape or form.

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What Goes Around Comes Around…..

Yugi rolled over onto his stomach, chewing on his pencil as he worked on his homework. _Maybe there were some good things about being three… Avoiding homework, namely. _While he was doing this, a large explosion sounded downstairs, from the kitchen. Which was exactly where he'd left Yami.

Yugi practically flew down the stairs, stopping at the kitchen door. Yami was in the middle of the kitchen, surrounded by flour and covered as well, making him look more like the spirit he was. "Yami, what did you DO?"

He looked down, the picture of an apologetic yami. "Gomen, aibou. I was trying to make you dinner."

Yugi sighed. "I never can stay mad at you, can I? We're going over to Malik and Marik's anyway. Remember?"

"Oops."

Yugi walked over to give him a hug, covering himself with flour in the process. "That's okay Yami. I appreciate the effort."

Yami's grin could have lit a stadium.

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"Yami no! Stay away from my- NOOOOOOOOO! I spent a week on that!"

Seito blinked, trying to figure out the device in front of him while his hikari screamed in his ear. "What did I do?"

"DO? YOU JUST ERASED MY PROGRAM!!! THAT WAS FOR THE NEW DUEL DISKS!!!!"

"Calm down hikari. All this stress isn't good for you. Besides, we have to get ready."

"???"

"We're going to Malik's, remember."

"Oh."

------------------------

Malik was rushing around the small apartment, making sure it was ready. Knowing the tomb robber would be there, he hid the millennium rod as a precaution. They were celebrating the one year anniversary of 'the incident.'

Malik eeped as he felt arms wrap around his waist. His face turned cherry red. "Yami, my friends will be here soon."

"Mine."

Malik sighed and disentangled himself from his yami. He was annoyingly possessive sometimes. Not that he minded. But normal people tended to.

He opened the door and let Yugi in, followed by a frowning Seto. He hated being reminded of 'the incident.' 

"Where's Ryou?"

--------------------------

The above mentioned teen was busily trying to find his yami, hoping that he hadn't killed and/or dismembered anyone. They'd been able to separate farther and farther apart lately. Last time Ryou had sent Bakura to the Mini Mart to get ice cream he'd found him at the prison the next town over. Boy had that been embarrassing.

"Yami? Are you here?"

"Yes."

Ryou turned to find Bakura in the doorway, placidly licking blood off of his fingers. After all, as Bakura had once explained to him, just because they were on more personal terms didn't mean he couldn't go out on his 'walks.' Walks that usually ended up with hospital patients.

"Yami, where did you go?"

"Nowhere, hikari mine, nowhere."

"Uh huh. Come on, we're late as it is."

------------------------------------

Ryou hurried in the door, dragging his yami behind him. Those clouds looked threatening, and there was no telling what his yami could do with lightning.

And once the door was shut, a bolt struck the apartment.

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MD: My trademark short first chapter.

YD: Please, don't let it keep you from reviewing.

Bakura: Or we might have to play a little shadow game.

Review!


	2. Deja Vu Anyone?

MD: *blinks* Wow. I don't think I've ever gotten 14 reviews for one chapter before……………COOL!

Q&A:

Krmpy:

MD: Well, you see, there was supposed to be one more chapter to Chibi Light. But I ran into block, so I just started the sequel.

Lady Silver Dragon I:

MD: Hey, I've seen you before! You review Sky's fics, don't you?

Malik: Great, it's one of those crossover nuts.

MD: *whacks*

Malik: T__T

MD: *gasp* I'm sorry! *huggles*

Malik: ^__~

MD: Anyway, there will sorta be a plot, about as much as the last one. Except this time, you guys get a Halloween chapter instead of a school one! *whacks self* Shouldn't have said that. But there's other differences too. This also gives me a chance to write Bakura-sama angst. Think of Chibi For A Day's Chibi Bakura.

MD: I've no more room for this, so, thanks to the rest of you reviewers! Hope Natina shows up soon Shadow's Girl12! *mutters* Well, not really, but….wait a sec, why isn't MY yami making sarcastic comments? Oh Ra. *runs off*

Next Chapter!

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déjà vu anyone?

Inside the house the air was heating up, energy particles nearly visible in their intensity. Bakura's head was beginning to ache. _Spirits don't get headaches, moron. _He told himself. But the pain continued to intensify. His crimson eyes slid out of focus, as he collapsed on top of his already unconscious hikari.

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Malik rubbed his head, trying in vain to sit up in spite of the pain._ Oh Ra, this is worse than any hangover I've EVER had. Including that time when Bakura hooked up beer to the school drinking fountain… _

Realizing that if he let his mind wander it might not come back, he pulled himself back to the problem at hand: figuring out how to get off of the floor. Then he could figure out what was clinging to him. Pushing himself up, he turned to solve the second problem…and promptly passed out again.

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Yugi felt a nudge at his side. Sleepily he rolled over, mumbling "Five more minutes." The nudging persisted, until he rolled over, trying to get rid of the source. Needless to say, Yugi was not a morning person.

Crimson eyes gazed into his. "Aibou wake up." The little Pharaoh insisted. As soon as Yugi sat up, yawning all the while, his Yami tugged at his shirt and pointed across the room. Yugi saw Ryou in the corner, what looked like a white lump curled up on his chest. Seto was in a heap on the couch, his yami asleep by his feet. And Malik appeared to be more unconscious than asleep, Marik still with a grip on his arm. 

Yugi's eyes widened considerably. "WHAT is going on here?"

Yami shrugged. "I dunno. But that's Seito. He plays with me."

"But were- aren't you the Pharaoh?"

"My dad says I will, but not yet."

Yugi stared at the five year old. Even this young, he was already cocky, grinning as he spoke to Yugi. 

"Do you know those other boys?" Yugi asked, wondering how many memories Yami had.

He nodded. "That's Marik," he said, pointing. "He's not very nice. (A/N: I KNOW that Marik isn't a spirit, but to make things easier for me let's pretend that he is.) An' that's Bakura. He's pretty shy."

If you searched the entire dictionary, in any language, no word would be less suitable for the tomb robber. Yet the white-haired chibi did seem rather quiet, curled up in a ball, the tip of his thumb tucked in his mouth.

"He does look shy."

Yami nodded. "Uh huh. Nobody plays with him, 'cause he's got white hair an' his dad's mean. Sometimes Marik talks to him though."

"Hmm." Yugi tried to think of the world the way his Yami thought it was: Ancient Egypt. And unless they suddenly got some money for plane tickets, his yami was going to be very confused very soon.

Nearby Bakura opened his eyes cautiously. He probably overslept again. Dad was gonna be mad. It didn't matter though, nobody wanted to play with him. 

The ground rolled underneath him, sending him crashing onto the ground. Yup, definitely time to get up. A boy rolled over to look at him. "'Kura?"

Bakura blinked. Only his mother had called him that. Maybe this boy wasn't mad at him. Well, it was worth a try. "Will you be my friend?"

Ryou looked confused. "Well, su- 'Kura, what happened to you?" He swept the small boy up, examining not only his small size but also the scar on his wrist. 

"Oh. My dad was mad at me." Was this boy really concerned for him? 

Ryou sat in thought for a moment. "'Kura, do you know me?"

The boy shook his head. "No, but I like you."

"Well, you can call me Ryou."

The future tomb robber smiled happily. "Okay Ryou-chan! We can be friends!"

Ryou smiled at his energetic yami. "Okay."

"Hey look! It's Marik! He's fun sometimes." Bakura explained.

The afore mentioned chibi didn't pay attention to the voices. He was busy trying to wake the boy. He didn't know much about him, just that he was his. He didn't know how he knew that either, he just did.

He glared at the approaching boys. "Mine."

Ryou raised an eyebrow.

"Mine." Marik insisted, grabbing the boys arm again for good measure.

"Okay, he's yours. Don't you think we should wake him up?"

Marik thought about this. "Okay." He allowed them to step closer.

Ryou went with the tried-and-true method. "Malik!" He said, "Some guy's trying to steal your motorcycle!"

Malik shot up, and would have run out the door had Ryou not been prepared. He kept one foot pressed firmly on Malik's ankle. "Are you awake now?" He asked sweetly.

Malik, recognizing the ruse, glared into the carpet. 

"Sulk later, deal with him now." Ryou pointed to the chibi, who was now clinging to his arm, muttering 'mine' every so often.

Not caught by surprised this time, Malik only blinked. "Oh." He said, somewhat dazed. "Is there breakfast here somewhere?"

------------------------------------

Malik: Is MD back yet?

Ryou: No. She's still looking.

Malik: She's been gone for three hours.

Ryou: Obviously, she's very dedicated to her yami.

Malik: Could've fooled me.

Review!


	3. Of Priest And CEO

MD: Hi peeps! We have a problem.

Chibi YD: Hiya! My name's Dreamer. Pleased to meet ya!

MD: She's really cheerful-hey, has anyone seen my Millennium Crystal?

YD: *twirls MC*

MD: How'd you do that?

YD: Mommy says it's like a game. If I get the really shiny gold stuff I win!

MD: O___O

Ryou: What's going on?

MD: THAT, Ryou-chan.

Ryou: Aw, she looks like you.

MD: Uh huh.

Chibi Bakura: Hi.

CYD: Hi. *looks* Oh, you're CUTE! *glomps*

Chibi Bakura: *blush*

Q&A:

Shadow's Girl12:

CYD: *glares at C Natina* I've seen you. You yelled at me for getting the shiny stuff. *whacks*

MD: This is great.

Kate Ryou:

MD: Don't worry, I didn't forget. This is the Seto chapter!

Lady Silver Dragon I:

MD: Yup, I meant Skyla.

Malik: *cries* I don't WANNA be chibi!

Chibi Marik: *psycho grin* You made hikari cry. Now we'll play a game.

MD: Poor Silvie.

MD: I think that's all! Enjoy the Seto-y chapter KR!

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Of Priest and CEO

While Ryou, Malik and Yugi went to go scrounge up some breakfast, the CEO slept on. Having known his yami for less time, the storm had taken a harder toll on his body. 

His routine of getting up early made him sit up. He glanced at the chibi sitting by his feet, elbows resting in Seto's feet. The second thing he noticed was the boy's strange attire. He was wearing white pants, a long purple over robe, and a ridiculous hat that fell over his eyes every few minutes. The boy smiled at him as soon as he realized he was awake. "Hi, my name's Seito. I'm learnin' magic."

Seto couldn't help but grin slightly at this ridiculous introduction. Then he composed himself, muttering "there's no such thing as magic."

Seito blinked, then giggled, rolling off of the couch in what could be called chibi hysterics. "Of course there's magic, silly," he said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes and forcing his hat back to the top of his head. "I'll show you." He stopped. "Uh oh," he mumbled, "I lost the stick again." He began to dig into hidden pockets of his over robe, trying to find the 'stick'.

Noise was heard from the kitchen. Seto heard snatches of conversation, including Malik yelling, and a 'mine' from what sounded very similar to Marik. Seito brightened. "Maybe my stick's in there." Seto followed the chibi wordlessly. _It's not like things could get any more weird._ He told himself. How wrong he was.

The scene in the kitchen was definitely a strange one. There was Ryou, helping a very short Bakura nurse a burnt finger, his yami arguing with Marik, tugging the Millennium Rod back and forth, and finally Yugi and Yami sat to watch.

"It's mine!"

"Mine."

"Mine!"

"MINE!"

"MINE!"

Malik finally stepped between the two, tired of the arguing, and grabbed the item. "It's mine." Which of course caused Marik to reinstate his death grip on 'his' Malik.

"Augh, yami, LET GO!"

"Mine."

Whilst they argued, Seito quietly slipped the M. Rod out of Malik's fingers and went over to Seto. "It's mine." He said triumphantly. 

Seto rubbed the remainder of sleep out of his eyes as Seito began muttering, a strange language that made the air heavy and shimmery, twining around them- and suddenly it stopped with a loud bang, leaving a sweat-soaked Seito on the ground. "See?" He panted. "I told you magic was real."

"I give up."

This last statement came from both Seto and Malik, who had given up trying to get his yami to let go, and let him cling and sigh in a sort of evil, happy way.

Seeing that the argument was finished, Ryou got up, trailed by Bakura, to offer Seto some of the somewhat breakfast of cereal, and burnt toast. (Courtesy of Malik.) Seto raised an eyebrow at the tomb robber, who was quietly sucking his thumb, but chose not to say anything. Ryou might be nice, but woe to you if you had anything bad to say about his yami!

Seto pushed away the burnt toast and turned to watch his yami. He was glaring at Marik, who was glaring back, but apparently was not interested enough to let go of his hikari. 

"Oooh,"

The other chibies glanced over as Yami held up his prize: his aibou's duel monster's deck. He grinned. Anybody wanna play a game?"

Seito groaned and Bakura edged closer to Ryou. Only Marik was foolish enough to challenge Yami, who, even at age 3 ¾, was still the King of Games.

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"I win." 

"No fair!"

"I still win."

Marik stalked off towards his hikari after the fifth game, muttering about revenge.

Seito had also tried his luck, playing with the cards Seto had, (rather reluctantly,) lent to him. And lost. "Let's play again!" he demanded, determined to make Seto proud of him.

Yugi sighed. "He's just as bad as you, Seto."

"Hmph."

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MD: *stares at TV* NOOOO! Poor Malik-chan. Somebody tell me he comes back after Battle City. Anybody? Oh, and can someone tell me where to find good pictures of Bakura, or better yet, a R/B shrine?

Review! 


	4. Treat or Shadow Game

I'm SO sorry it took so long to update! I've just been busy.

MD: Hiya! ^______^

CYD: What's up? ^______________________^

Malik: Alright, who gave them sugar?

Q&A:

Shadow's Girl12:

CYD: *growls* Now I'm mad. *tackles* I'm SUPPOSED to get shiny stuff baka Pharaoh's girl! *mutters* Still don't know how you caught me. No one ever catches me. Not even the Pharaoh-baka.

Autumn Ann:

CYD: Oooh. *edges closer to staff* Pretty.

MD: Yami, don't you dare!

CYD: I 'member you guys too! You made those scary bangs an' smoke.

MD: My yami has a magic phobia? But she uses shadow magic….

CYD: That's different. It's not all colorful an' bright.

Lady Silver Dragon I:

MD: That's FANART? O________________O My stuff can't hold a candle to that! The only thing I can draw remotely that well is chibies. -__-U

Chibi Marik: Yum, candy. ^__^

Thanks to Mamano and Lunar Eclipse for sites!

Next chapter! 

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Treat or Shadow Game

After six games, (two of which involved shadow magic,) even Seito gave up. They did call Yami YuGiOh for a reason.

After giving resignedly giving Seto back his cards, Seito pulled himself onto the large bay window Malik had gotten installed with a little 'help' from the Millennium Rod. He pressed his nose against the glass, staring at the strange decorations outside, and the surprising lack of sand. (A/N: Do they celebrate Halloween in Japan? Hmmm.)

"Wow."

Yami and Marik hurried over to the window to see the amazing sight, Bakura following behind them. What were those orange things? Where was the sand? Why was it so cloudy? They besieged their lights with questions, with even shy Bakura piping in now and then.

Said lights stared, unsure of what to say to the curious chibies. Ryou spoke up first. 

"Let's start with the easy question. Those 'orange things' are pumpkins. That means it's almost Halloween."

Bakura tugged on the boy's shirt. "What's Hallo- what you said."

Ryou smiled. "When little chibies like you dress up and go out to get candy."

"What's candy?"

"Good stuff to eat."

"Oh. Wow!"

"Can we do that, Hikari Mine?" Marik asked, the first coherent sentence he had formed.

Seito pondered. "That sound's like fun!"

Yami nodded, in complete agreement with his cousin. "Yeah! I bet I get the most candy!"

Yugi looked over. "Not everything is a competition, Yami."

Yami blinked. "It's not?"

Malik's eyes widened. "Your yami has serious competition issues Yugi."

Yugi nodded. After finding his voice, he continued. "Well, I guess the first thing we'll need are costumes."

Malik snorted. "Yugi, what they're WEARING could qualify as costumes." His eyes drifted from Seito's hat, to Yami's crown, to Bakura's simple tan outfit, and to his own yami's long purple cape, (which, apparently, he possessed even in Egypt.) Of course, his comment received a sharp elbowing from Ryou, who was sitting nearby.

"Don't spoil their fun." He scolded in a whisper.

"Sorry." He responded sarcastically.

---------------------------------

"They're all so pretty!" Seito exclaimed, dragging poor Seto by the hand through the endless rows of colorful costumes.

"So glad you're entertained." Seto mumbled under his breath.

Marik had found the props section. He worked a long scythe off of the rack, only to frown in disappointment when he discovered that the end was plastic and not some dangerous, sharp metal. He repeated this experiment with every blade in the store, only to emerge frustrated, his hair more erect than usual.

"They no sharp!"

Malik sighed. "Of course they're not sharp. Little kids play with 'em."

This obviously meant nothing to Marik. "So?"

"Never mind."

Bakura had found the children's costumes, and was awed by the bright, sequined clothing. One in particular caught his eye. "I like this one!" he declared, holding up a long blue cape, hat and wand. "It's pretty."

Ryou dug change out of his pocket, accepting the outfit. "Sounds good to me."

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They emerged from the store with their purchases, Yami as a vampire, Bakura and Seito in matching wizard outfits, one in blue, one in green, and Marik as, (big surprise,) the grim reaper. The grim black robe replaced his cape with an ominous flare.

"Let's go!" Yami pointed one finger forward, like a general leading his troops to battle. 

Yugi & co. followed, hauling the pillow cases they'd grabbed on the way out.

They defiantly ignored the strange stares that Marik and Yami's hair received, and Seito's hat, (he'd exchanged the wizard one for his old one. Old habits, like bad fashion sense, die hard, I suppose.)

They sat for a few moments on a park bench, Marik toying with his scythe, (which was now mysteriously sharp,) watching the other children come and go, somewhat unsure of what to do. 

Marik darted forward suddenly. "I know!"

He knocked on the wooden door nearest to him. "Candy!"

After a chuckle and a raised eyebrow at the rather demanding chibi, the couple who'd answered the door tossed a few pieces his way.

He looked unhappily at his two pieces. "Nuh uh. Shadow game!" (A/N: He's so much like his hikari….)

Malik grabbed his yami away quickly. "We should leave now."

The other didn't object.

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MD: Malik-chan!

Malik: What? This isn't about you Hershey stash, is it?

MD: What about it? 

Malik: …Nothing. What did you want?

MD: Can I borrow your M. Rod?

Malik: Why?

MD: I'd like to have a 'chat' with the school board, who wouldn't give us the day off even though there's TWO FEET OF SNOW ON THE GROUND!!!

Malik: Sure.

Chibi Marik: Can I come?

CYD: Me too!

MD: Okay. Wanna go Malik-chan?

Malik: It is always fun to watch when you get mad.

*all leave*

Ryou: They won't be back for a while.

Chibi Bakura: *nods*

Review!


	5. Family Problems

Malik: MD apologizes profusely for the late arrival of this chapter. But, she was out of town, the new YYH and RK graphic novels came out, ff.net sent her one of those temporary suspension things, and then-

MD: Damn the computer technician. DAMN THAT BASTARD TO HELL!!

Malik: O__________________O She never swears that much in an entire fic, much less in one sentence.

Ryou: She's got every right. Fool deleted all her stories.

MD: *wails* 36 chapters Ryou-chan! And my school projects too! *glomps*

Ryou: *hugs hesitantly* Shh, it's okay MD.

Malik: *grin* I'm getting pictures of this.

Q&A:

Shadow's Girl12:

CYD: Why…You…TELL ME! *brings out shadow magic* Or I'll duel you for the answers. *Marik-like grin*

MD: This could get ugly. Wanna stop 'em, SG? Or shall we watch?

Mavelus:

CYD: *growls* My friend. Not yours.

MD: A little possessive there, yami?

CYD: *blush* NO!!

Lady Silver Dragon I:  
MD: Yesh, write chibi, draw chibi, read chibi. A bit sad. I use full figures and such for my manga though.

Autumn Ann Star:

MD: Nice name.

CYD: *plays with blades* Ooh, sharp. Good.

MD: *plays with staff* Oh. Darkness, fire, yay.

Ryou: It's hard to tell who's the yami sometimes.

DarkFlame136:

MD: Yesh, Seito and Yami really are cousins. Strange but true!

Plushies to whoever knows the meaning of Ryou's new nickname! And yes, I like Shadi/Isis! You have to admit, they are a lot alike.

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Family Problems

After the disastrous incident at the first house, Malik came to a conclusion: stores. Stores had candy, right? Now, consider that sentence. Then consider that it was Malik who thought of it. 

Malik walked out of the store somewhat disappointed, several bags of candy under his arms and Marik tagging along behind him. "That place is pathetic! A cute chibi, disable a few alarms, they might as well have a sign that says 'please, steal from us!'"

"You're not _supposed _to steal from them!" Yugi said indignantly.

"You're not?"

"You have problems Malik."

-----------------------------

Ryou chewed his finger, turning restlessly in his chair. He had a problem. And no, it wasn't that his yami was four years old. No, our favorite bishounen was worried because his father had called a few weeks ago.

Why did he have to call NOW?! I definitely don't need this. What was he supposed to say anyway? His father had been gone for so long. Always away, never bothering to visit, or even call every now and then. It was like that since his mother and Amane had died. His father had shut himself off from the world, forgetting about his living son while he mourned for his wife and daughter. Ryou was sure he didn't even know about Bakura. He could just imagine how explaining that would go:

Hi dad! Guess what! Remember that ring you gave me for my tenth birthday? Well, it turns out that it actually contained the spirit of an ancient tomb robber who I'm the reincarnation of! And, through of a series of events involving magic spells, I've fallen in love with him! Yeah, I thought I was straight too.

No, that would never work. That would probably just give his old man a heart attack. Ryou sighed, disheartened. The tiny _pat-pat _of feet jerked Ryou from his depressing thoughts. Even now, Bakura had pretty much mastered the art of stealth, moving gracefully and silently through the house.

"What is it Kura?" He asked dully.

"What's wrong Ryou-chan?" He asked, noting Ryou's dulled eyes and tone. 

"Not much Kura, just a little family problem."

"Oh. Hey Ryou?"

"Hm?"

"Can I call you koi?"

Ryou fought a loosing battle against the blush spreading rapidly across his cheeks. 

"Kura," he said hesitantly, "do you know what that means?"

Bakura shook his head vigorously. "Nope. But it _sounds_ right."

Okay. So he didn't know what it meant. "Well, I, guess so."

The conversation was interrupted by a steady bang, bang, bang in the next room.

Ryou looked over at Bakura. "What do you say we check it out?" Nothing like an adorable chibi to cure a bad mood.

Bakura nodded agreeably. "Okay koi."

The source of the banging was, as Ryou had suspected, Malik. This always seemed to happen when things went wrong. He'd left a large dent in the wall doing it after the Battle City fiasco.

"So, what's wrong?"

"My *whack* life *whack* is *whack* officially *whack whack* over."

"Explanation, please."

"Shadi *whack* proposed *whack* to Isis. *whack whack whack* They're *whack* coming back *whack whack* for Christmas. *whack* (A?N: Once again, don't know if it's celebrated in Japan. Just work with me here.)

"Well, that's not so bad, is it? I thought your sister liked him."

"Sure, she couldn't be happier. This, however, poses danger to my sanity and survival."

"Come on, you don't think all of that would be a factor now, do you?"

"Are we talking about the same Shadi?"

All this was said with Malik continuously banging his head against the wall, leaving an ever growing dent to rival even Battle City's. Malik did have a point. Shadi was the one who had set said Battle City incident, first giving Malik the M. Rod and then appearing and telling Malik that Yami was to blame after Marik killed Malik's father. It was always a good idea not to bring that up with Marik, however. Things tended to get very ugly, very fast.

"Not to mention now I'll be _related _to the psycho!" Malik continued.

"Oh, come on. It's not that bad."

"Hey, Ishitar, you're going to kill what few brain cells you have if you keep that up!" This was Seto's own unique way of showing concern.

Yugi giggled. "Kind of makes you glad to have a normal family, huh, Yami." Yami looked questioningly up at him, giving up on playing with to him was just a very shiny, but very small pyramid hanging around his neck. "Well," Yugi continued, "as normal as things can be with you around."

Yami frowned slightly.

"Aw, don't cry Yami. I wouldn't trade you for any sort of normal family." Yugi hugged his smaller counterpart and went back to watching the melodrama playing away across the room.

----------------------------

MD: *bows low and repeatedly* I'm soorrrrrrrrryyyyy! Here! Take my apology! Hands out Christmas YuGiOh plushies* Look on the bright side! This means Christmas fluff! ^______^

Malik: That girl has a fluff obsession.

MD: Yes, yes I do. Anyway, one more thing. I might put up a little collection of Ryou n' Bakura songfics soon. I'd appreciate it immensely if you'd check it out. 

Please please please review!


	6. Scars of the Heart

MD: *twitches slightly* Grr.

Malik: *peeks in* They called it yaoi again, didn't they.

Ryou: *nods* Yup. 

MD: Okay people, I'm only gonna say this once. After that, whoever calls it yaoi gets clocked. Here are the definitions:

Yaoi- Graphic descriptions of boy/boy romance, often involving sex. No plot necessarily involved.

Shounen-ai: literally means boy love. These only involve fluff, maybe a kiss at most. Has a plot.

MD: Everything clear now? Good. So no, this isn't yaoi, it's shounen-ai. And yes, I know not everyone uses these definitions.

Japanese 101:

Koi means 'love or 'dear'. Similarly, koibito means sweetheart.

Q&A:

Crystal Jewel:

MD: You hit the nail on the head! *hands over plushie* Enjoy!

By the way, thanks for the thought, but since my account is set on teen, I probably can't get those pics.

Lady Silver Dragon:

MD: Don't worry. I'll save the _most_ fluffy stuff until the yami's are normal again. Hmm, angst obsession, huh? Oh! *jumps up and down* Read Never doubt the Heart of a Yami

That made me cry. And I _don't _cry. Seriously. I'm like, the Seto Kaiba of my school.

Mamono:

MD: Well, have a plushie anyway. And, uh, don't call this yaoi again, ok?

Aura Black Chan:

MD: Hmm. *checks dictionary (Christmas present! ^__^)* Apparently a koi is also a fish. *hands over plushie* Enjoy!

Shadow's Girl12:

MD: Yum, popcorn! *munches happily*

CYD: I summon Mess Magic Master! Attack:2400 And 'cause of it's effect you can't attack it. :p 

MD: Hey! My fave card! My only Japanese promo card! Yami! IF I FIND ONE SPECK OF BLOOD ON THAT CARD….

Autumn Ann Star:

MD: Well, I reviewed. Now I'm just waiting for you to update. And my yami discovered Jusenkyo…Oh Ra.

Dark_angel5221:

Thank you!

Mavelus:

CYD: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MY Baku! *glomps both*

MD: You just can't win with her. *huggles Malik and Ryou*

Ryou: You know what they say…

Malik: The apple never falls far from the tree?

Sunrise:

MD: Um…I'm sorry?

DarkFlame136:

MD: Close enough! *hands over plushie* For you! ^___________^

I'm really, really, really sorry I took so long! With Christmas and all. Plus, I discovered that my Blockbuster has Ranma ½. And… now the theme song from the first season is stuck in my head! 

--------------------------------

Scars of the Heart

Ryou sighed, watching an occasional breeze rustle the trees outside. Poor Malik was still in nervous breakdown mode. Ryou, whoever, had long since given up hope, and, along with Seto, declared him beyond help and left him with Yugi. Poor Yugi.

Ryou went back to watching the trees rustle, surprised to see occasional snowflakes drift through the air. They hadn't had snow for a few years. Usually it was too warm. His mind drifted back to the last time it had snowed. Before Amane was hit by the car, before his oka-san died, a combination of illness and sorrow.

__

"Ryou! Nii-san, look!"

Nine year old Ryou followed his eager sister to the window, laughing at her antics. "What is it, Amane-chan?"

"Snow, nii-san! It's so pretty! Can we go play?" She rushed toward the door, leaving Ryou to try and catch her long enough to put a coat on and give her hers. 

"Nii-san?" Ryou giggled, popping up from his nearby hiding place, his white locks nearly invisible among the snow. Amane tackled him, both of them disappearing into the snow.

Back inside the house, the house they had lived in, before his father had to sell it, Amane looked happily up at Ryou. "Can we play again, nii-san? Next year, and the year after that?"

Ryou smiled, flicking a little of the whipped cream from his hot chocolate onto her nose. "Sure Amane-chan," he laughed, "but only if you're good!"

Ryou stopped the memories there. He didn't want to remember any more. How there was no next year. A reckless driver on the winter roads had seen to that. Watching his mother lose the light in her eyes after that was worse, compounded by his father's constant absence. The memories had once again circulated him back to the looming problem of his father. It was as though his family was a whirlpool from which he couldn't escape, dragging him down every time he tried.

Meanwhile, with Malik, even Yugi was getting frustrated. It was like Malik had shut off the world, in attempt to calm his fears, and it wasn't working. Yami frowned, glaring at the soul who dared cause his aibou frustration. Even Marik was losing patience. And though he had a hair trigger that could be called insanity to most everyone, he showed incredible resilience towards 'his' Malik. But enough was enough. So, the ancient grave keeper punched his hikari on the nose.

"OW!" Malik covered his nose with a bronze hand, attempting to stem the small trickle of blood flowing from it. "What'd you do that for?!"

"Stop." Marik replied evenly.

Seto, who had come back from sheer boredom, took over from there. "He's right, you know. It's really pathetic, watching the great Ra-wielding grave keeper acting like a child."

Malik replied with a few phrases that had to be censored to keep this story PG-13. Seto replied with a cold gaze and the international peace sign, which Malik returned. Yugi was blushing, Yami was trying to cover his hikari's eyes and ears at the same time and Marik was laughing by the end of it all. Seito stuck his tongue out at Marik. "He won."

"Nuh uh."

"Uh huh."

"Nuh UH!"

"Did too."

Marik gave up on arguing at this point and simply tackled Seito, creating a small cartoon style ball of dust. This fight progressed to yet another fight over the M. Rod. Bakura appeared somewhere in the middle of the fight, unemotional eyes taking it all in. Bored, he stretched cat-like and poked one finger into the dust cloud. Seito and Marik fell apart shortly after, Seito's eyes swirled.

Malik looked over, eyebrows raised in slight interest. "When did he learn about pressure points?" 

Ryou entered the utterly chaotic scene at this point, and made a beeline for Bakura. "Are you okay Kura?" Bakura nodded, his eyes still dull and uninterested. He cuddled into Ryou's arms, but his skin was cooler than it had been, and there was a new scar, running a jagged ling up his arm. Ryou sighed but didn't ask. He didn't have to strain his mind to figure where it had come from.

"Um, hey guys?" Yugi said shyly, "Does, Yami look taller, or is just me?"

"Well, if he's taller, than that certainly is reason to be concerned." Malik said dryly. "But you're right."

"Well," Seto retorted, "Malik agreed with someone. Now we _really _need to worry." All he received for his trouble was having to duck from a speeding dictionary.

"I'm serious." Yugi said, a tinge of worry creeping into his tone.

"So am I." Seto replied, ducking a thesaurus that accompanied the dictionary.

"Seto, be serious." Ryou scolded.

"Humph."

"Well, looks like sir pensive decided to join us." Malik joked.

"Oh, forgive me for thinking. I know it's not something that doesn't come easily to you."

Malik clutched his chest in fake agony. "I'm deeply wounded, I hope you know." He said, feigning seriousness.

"I'm sure." Ryou returned.

Ryou awoke later that night to soft whimpers. Of course, now that he was awake, he wondered if it had in fact been Malik's snoring. It was a wonder he got to sleep in the first place. Having only two bedrooms, they'd been forced to have two to a room. (Malik was sleeping on the floor, due to Ryou's insistence.) He stepped over Malik, who muttered something about dancing cupcakes before going back to dreamland. Marik was glomped tightly onto his hikari's arm, holding the Millennium Rod, which had gained, if only temporarily.

"Go…away"

The whisper-soft voice of his yami reached Ryou's ears as he continued to pick his way across the room. Bakura was tossing fretfully in his sleep, murmuring and crying out from time to time.

"Blood…death…stop.."

A thought flashed that memories might be the cause of his nightmares. But Bakura had been at least 5 when his village was attacked by the Pharaoh's army.

"Pharaoh…"

Whatever doubts Ryou might have had about the cause of the dream were ended there. 

"Fire!" Bakura woke, clammy with sweat, screaming that one last word, quivering as his haunted eyes played the scene once more across his mind. Wasting no more time, Ryou hugged him close, stroking his hair and whispering comfort like a mother comforting her child. 

"Shh, it's okay Kura, it okay."

Bakura's eyes were wide and frightened. "Ryou?" He whispered timidly.

"I'm right here Kura."

That was the last reassurance Bakura needed. He sobbed into Ryou's nightshirt, still terrified of the dream, the death of everything he held dear. Ryou let him cry, holding him until the raucous sobs subsided into small sniffles. "Ryou," he whispered into the shirt, "was it real?" 

"Don't think about that Kura," Ryou soothed. "I'm here for you know, and everything will be all right." He did not add his final thought. _Somehow._

-------------------------------

MD: Hey people! I meant to update before 2004, really, I did! Gomen nasai! Ahem, due to the cluttered nature of my brain, we may have a few non-YGO guests around here.

Mousse: ???

MD: Um, minna-san, meet Mousse, my favorite character from Ranma ½.

Mousse: Could you tell me where I am?

CYD: ???

MD: Mousse, put your glasses on. My yami is currently two and a half feet shorter than me. And she's not pleasant.

Malik: *pokes in* And, who, is he?

MD: Mousse. Be nice, Malik.

Malik: Where are you going?

MD: I've been challenged over the rights to you, Marik, Ryou, and Bakura. Yami, you'd better get ready too. You're part of me in the real world. Actually, you're the dominant part.

CYD: *nods*

MD: Hopefully, I'll be back by the next chapter. Until then, review!


	7. Seto's Magic

Ryou: Hello all!

Malik: When's MD comin' back?

MD: *staggers in* @__@ *separates from YD*

CYD: @__@ Pretty stars….

Ryou: Obviously things didn't go well.

MD: *sniffles* I lost….

Malik:!!!

MD: Sesshoumaru…

Both: *face fault*

MD: *blinks* Didn't I tell you he was part of the deal too? By the way, where's Mousse?

Ryou: We called in an expert. *points*

Seito: *temporarily restored* It really wasn't that hard you know.

Q&A:

Princess Hallie:

MD: Thanks! ^__________________________^ 

Malik: Yet another person inflates her overlarge ego. 

MD: :p My mom always accuses me of wasting my God-given talent on these fanfics. But I like using said talent on them since it makes my reviewers happy.

Sunrise and Sunset:

MD: Because plushies are good! *glomps angel Ryou plushie*

Mamono:

MD: I forgive you! ^__^ So long as you keep reviewing! Wait *re-reads review* Oro? Suddenly? I told you guys about this in the first fic.

Autumn Ann Star:

MD: Make sure you keep your word! I'm waiting on that next chapter eagerly. ^__^

Destiny's Dragon:

MD: Well….That's good! That was just for people who didn't.

Johanna Gen:

MD: Yep, S/I is good. *cowers behind Malik* You can have Shaadi, honest! Malik and Ryou are mine! Buy YGO 3 too. That's got lots of Shaadi in it.

Lady Silver Dragon:

MD: I'm not offended at all, unless you do like exactly the same thing. However, if you steal Malik's dream about the dancing cupcakes I might have to be angry. ^__~

Mintvee:

MD: Um…This One turned 13 ½ on January 3. How old did you _think _I was?

Jazzy:

CYD: *demonic eyes* Mine…

MD: *drags out flaming katana* This is usually reserved for flamers, but, I just won 

Ryou, and he's MINE!

CYD: *gets shadow katana* Baku is mine. 

Malik: Boy, don't you two feel loved.

Chibi Bakura & Ryou: ….

Celestial angel13:

CYD: *turns* Grr…

MD: Umm… *grabs borrowed prayer beads* Yami, SIT!

CYD: @___@

MD: Another fave list? I'm so happy! ^_____________^

Seito: *chibi again* 

*poof*

Chibi Mousse: ???

MD: Oh dear. *sighs* I'll take him back. Ryou, make sure Malik doesn't blow anything up, okay?

Ryou: *salutes*

MD: C'mon yami.

MD & CYD: *poof*

Hey, I added a quote section to my bio! Go check it out!

Next chapter!

------------------------

Seto's Magic

Due to having stayed up all night comforting his chibi yami, Ryou was not particularly cheerful when he shuffled into the kitchen. The top items on his list were avoiding the general populace of mankind long enough to take a nap. After breakfast.

Seto was already up, naturally, and was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee (which a person grows to like after using it to stay awake countless nights finishing business deals,) reading the newspaper. Unlike usual, he wasn't glaring at every person who entered the room, and was even in a good enough mood to mutter something along the lines of 'good morning'. Must have been the coffee.

Malik came in shortly after, rubbing his eyes sleepily and trying to get Marik to let go of him. He stopped dead in the doorway. "Oh. My. God. Ryou isn't being cheerful, and Seto is speaking of his own free will. It's a sign of the apocalypse! Take cover!"

Ryou took a few special moments to glare daggers at Malik before putting his head back on his arms. "Need…Sleep…"

Malik looked around curiously. "Where's your shadow anyway?" He was, of course, speaking of Bakura. 

"Still sleeping." Ryou mumbled sleepily. "He was up for the better part of the night from nightmares and your snoring, might I add, did not help."

"I do _not _snore."

"Can you prove that? My sleep deprived brain says you _definitely _snore_._"

Not having an argument for this at seven in the morning, Malik changed the subject. "Where's Yugi anyway?" He asked Seto, not really expecting an answer. 

"You have to pry that boy out of bed with a crowbar in the mornings." Seto replied moodily. "It doesn't help that the great pharaoh won't let you within ten feet of him."

Marik, meanwhile, had finally, (although somewhat reluctantly) let go of his hikari, and was searching of some way to cause havoc. Or something to keep him entertained. Havoc was usually the best way to do that. He wandered out of the kitchen and into the den. The large shiny box was sitting near the window. What had hikari called it? Oh well. Maybe it was flammable. Problem: No fire. Hmm. What else could he do to the box? He grabbed the Millennium Rod, which he had stolen from the High Priest that morning. Unsheathing the blade, he walked up to the box and poked one of the protruding buttons. Well, it didn't blow up, but Marik was about to get a pretty good lesson _about _blowing things up.

"What's that noise?" Ryou asked, still sleepy despite the sugar-and-cream-rich coffee that Seto had given him.

"And, more importantly, where did my yami go?" Malik asked. "When he disappears, death and destruction usually follow." Seito chose to come in at this moment, very put out about the disappearance of his M. Rod. Which, of course, only made Malik and co. more worried. 

Yugi yawned and sat up. _What time is it?_ _8 a.m? Man, I got up early today. _He smiled slightly to see the chibi Pharaoh standing guard diligently at his bedside. He cocked his head to the side at the sound coming from the living room. Was Malik watching TV this early?

Walking in a non-morning person trance Yugi followed his grumbling stomach towards the kitchen, Yami walking protectively in front him. A few feet from salvation from his growling stomach, Yugi found the source of the noise. Marik was sitting in front of the TV, a bit of an awed look on his face. Yugi stepped forward to see what he was watching. Not recognizing it, he shrugged and walked into the kitchen, where Yami was watching a somewhat worried Malik. "If you're looking for Marik," Yugi yawned, "he's watching TV."

Malik tore out of the kitchen, his spiky bangs hanging in his face, only to find that his yami was in fact, _not_ blowing things up and/or setting them on fire. Instead, he was _watching_ things get blown up and/or set on fire. Marik pointed happily at the TV. "That guy gots pointy hair like me!"

Malik leaned over to take a look at the screen. _Hey, you know, this doesn't look half bad… _Pretty soon Malik was just as engrossed as Marik, in the ever popular and awesome anime we know as…Dragonball Z!

"Can we officially label them as insane _and _pyromaniacs?"

"Probably. Good Point: They wouldn't be our problem anymore. Bad Point: We wouldn't have nearly as much entertainment."

"True."

This conversation was taking place between Yugi and Ryou (who was finally starting to perk up) while Malik and Marik, having finished watching DBZ and deciding to continue to watch it tomorrow, if only to cheer for the villains and wonder why Vegeta had decided not to stay evil, were now rotting their brains out on the Gamecube. 

"I win!"

Malik shook his head sadly. "I just lost to a four year old…at Soul Caliber II…my best game…Damn."

Marik glared at him slightly. "Not four, Hikari-Mine. I'm six and a half."

Malik raised an eyebrow. "you're kidding."

"No."

"Problem."

And, of course, in Marik's mind, the problem cycle went like this: When in doubt, blame the Pharaoh. If Pharaoh is not available, blame the High Priest. Hmm, he had yet to gloat to Seito about the M. Rod. Blaming him might be the most fun way to go. Now all he had to do was ask Hikari-Mine what they were blaming him for. 

It was at this moment, while Marik was scheming, that Bakura decided to get up, still a little quivery over last night's dream, and searching for Ryou, his koi. It felt kind of nice to call him that, knowing there was someone who loved him unconditionally, maybe even shared a bond that was more than mortals could explain. (A/N: Let us keep in mind that at this point Bakura is not aware of his and Ryou's mind link.) How else could he have known that he was having bad dreams?

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, away from Marik's plotting, Malik was explaining the situation to the assembled group. "Any ideas?" He asked after he finished.

Ryou bit his bottom lip nervously. "I don't know, but I'm having the same trouble with Kura. He was up half the night with nightmares about his village. I'm afraid if he reaches his tomb robber stage, I won't be able to reach him at all."

To everyone's surprise, including his own, it was Seto who spoke up. "Think about it. They were children close to 5000 years ago. Since their bodies can't handle de-aging over that much time, they're going to age a little bit at a time."

He glared at the eyes goggling at him. "The power was out alright? The computers were down and all there was to read was Seito's spell books…"

Malik's eyes widened slightly. "Seto was reading magic books. Yup, I was right. Definitely signs of the apocalypse." 

-----------------------

MD: *poofs in*

Malik: *playing cards with Ryou* What took you so long?

Ryou: Where's YD?

MD: *fused voice* We had problems with the dimension travel and we're stuck, okay?

Malik: *laughs*

YMD: Oh, you think that's funny, then you'll love this. *grabs water bucket*

*splash*

Fox: ….

Ryou: ???

Fox: *disappears*

*splash*

YMD: Amused?

Malik: What…Just happened?

YMD: *points* Ask my readers.

****

Note: Ha! I finally found out Yami's real name! Thank you Yahoo message boards! Apparently it was recently released in the Egyptian Arc of the manga. Maybe I'll tell you guys, maybe not… ^__~

Review!


	8. Back to School!

MD: Hello people! ^_^

Malik: You're…normal. 

MD: Yup. Unfortunately, yami got off and I got stuck with the curse.

CYD: *giggles* Baku-chan! I'm back! *glomps*

Chibi Bakura: -_-

Seto: Well, now we know what to do when you talk to much.

MD: Seto-chan! You're back!

Seto: T_T Why me?

Okay, if you didn't already know, Yami's name is…Atemu! Although that would be a pain to change his name for this fic, I probably will in my others. By the way, I need some help. I'm debating between a koneko (kitty) fic, a time travel fic, or a YGO/LOTR or YGO/IY crossover after I finish this one. What do you think? Remember, if you give me your opinion I expect you to be there. ^__~

Q&A:

BakaNeko-Chan:

MD: Probably not, since they were 15 (ish) when their souls were entrapped in the items. But, one never knows.

Akiko Koishii:

MD: Thank you for updating! Now I want another chapter, 'k? Onegai? *puppy eyes* I still don't like Shampoo. She's so mean to poor Mousse! T_T AND she's trying to get in the way of Akane/Ranma. Which is THE most obvious couple in history.

Lady Silver Dragon:

MD: Well, I feel like an idiot now. Ah well. *whacks lightly* It's super-SAIYAN hair, thank you. DBZ was my first anime. I still love it to bits. ^__^

By the way, if flamers accuse you of copying, send 'em my way. *waves flaming katana* I'll be ready.

Aika Hanyou:

MD: Wow, just like Kirara from IY! Wait, do I… know you? You seem familiar. Changed your name, perhaps?

Shadow's Girl12:

MD: You're back! *hugs* Where have you BEEN?!

CYD: *glares at Natina* You backed out on our fight. Pharaoh's still a baka. :P

Here's your awaited chapter!

----------------------

Back to School!

By this time it had been nearly three weeks since the beginning of the yamis' chibiness. Ryou and Yugi's grades were slipping rapidly due to having to stay with the chibies (they couldn't just leave them, and no babysitter deserved that sort of punishment,) and Seto's grades were good enough to withstand a month's worth of absences. And Malik? Well, Malik's grades were horrible to begin with, mostly from his frequent ditching.

"What are we going to do?" Ryou whispered, making sure to be quiet even though Malik had gone to sleep hours ago.

"We've got to go, otherwise we'll fail for sure. I don't think I could stand another year of being a freshman." Yugi whispered back.

"What'll we do with our yamis?"

"Here's the plan. I just hope they'll understand."

Later, at about 5 a.m to be exact, Ryou, Yugi, and Seto, who had decided to come just to get out of the apartment, were getting dressed and ready as silently as possible. Yugi, not exactly being a morning person, was stumbling into things at random. Luckily for them Malik sleeps like a rock. After what seemed like an eternity on pins and needles, they grabbed their school things. Ryou hesitated at the door. "Are you guys sure we should just leave him?"

Seto smirked. "I almost feel sorry for Ishitar, 'almost' being the key word in that sentence."

The three decided it would be safer to get breakfast at a diner before school. Sound sleeper though he was, Malik had an incredible sense of smell. 

Malik rolled over from his sprawled out position on the bed, (Ryou let him have it, mostly so he could be closer to Bakura, in case he had more nightmares,) only to fall to the floor with a smack. That's the problem when you've become used to sleeping on the floor, don't you know.

Thought one: Ow. Hard wood floors and high beds definitely don't mix.

Thought two: When's breakfast?

He rolled over from his position on the floor. "Hey, Ryou…" He stopped. Ryou's futon (A/N: Hey, you didn't expect him to sleep on the floor, did you?) was empty. He raced as quickly as he could without waking Bakura into the next room. Sure enough, both bed and futon were empty. "Those…they left me!" He stormed into the kitchen. There was a little note from Yugi on the table:

Malik,

By the time you find this, Ryou, Seto and I will have left for school. We figured sine your grades are so horrible anyway you wouldn't mind staying home. We didn't have the heart (or the money) to get a babysitter. Watch the chibies, okay?

Yugi

Well, Malik thought sourly, _this is great. _They did have a point about his grades. Malik couldn't care less about school. He only went because his Nee-san Isis insisted on it. That woman could be _really _scary when she wanted to be.

"Where's koi?" 

Malik jumped about ten feet. He turned around to see who had actually surprised him. "Wha…oh, it's you Bakura. Ryou is…wait, did you just call him koi?" He gave one of his evil smirks. "Oh, revenge is sweet."

Bakura cocked his head to the side, wondering what he had said wrong and definitely wondering what had happened to Ryou.

Malik noticed the somewhat put-out expression on Bakura's face. "Don't worry. He'll be back in a few hours. Until then, you're with me."

Bakura's put-out expression was soon mirrored by Marik, who walked into the room only to find 'his' Malik's attention stolen by another chibi. The nerve! He quickly stepped between 'his' Malik and the intrusive chibi, sticking out his tongue with a traditional "Mine." 

Malik rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Oh, for Gods' sake…"

Seito and Yami entered the scene at this point, preventing Malik from uttering words that were definitely not chibi-appropriate. "Where's our hikari's?" they chorused. Malik rubbed his temples. Today was not going to be a good day.

Meanwhile, at school….

Ryou was also rubbing his temples, receiving a pounding headache after being chewed out by three teachers for his recent absences. He was now at the only truly safe haven in school; lunch. "Remind me again, please, why we came back to this hellhole?"

Yugi cuddled his head against his arms, the lack of sleep finally catching up with him. "The reason escapes me."

Seto looked up from his laptop, a.k.a. his daily escape from reality. "We were desperate to get out of the apartment?"

"Oh." They chorused.

Back at the apartment….

Malik had finally made amends with the chibies about their missing hikaris' by…playing video games. And Losing. Badly.

"NOO! THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" This was after, meh, maybe the third loss to Bakura. Now, Yami he could understand. He'd been losing to him constantly since the day they met. Even Seito he could understand. He'd spent his life under the same roof (even if it was a very big roof) as Yami. But Bakura? That kid had been much to shy to play video games the other day, so Malik was sure he'd never seen them before. What was with this sudden change in skill. _Ouch… O_O He just beat me with a perfect. NOO! T_T _ As you can imagine, all of this had a very bad effect on poor Malik's self esteem. The others came home to find poor Malik-chan contemplating the meaning of life over some Oreos. Crushed self esteem can do strange and somewhat scary things to a person.

Yugi poked Malik gently in the shoulder. "Are…you okay?"

Malik turned a full double-barrel glare on the three of them. "You. Left. Me. Here. ALONE! And you ask if I'm okay?!"

"But,"

Ryou put up a hand. "No, no, leaving Malik alone with three, no four little kids was pretty cruel." He paused. "But even THAT could not compare to my day." He pulled up a chair. "Let me have some of those Oreos…" 

---------------------

MD: Dear God it's a miracle!!

Ryou: ??

MD: The evil beings known as 4kids didn't edit out the part about Noa's accident! And they edit out EVERYTHING having to do with death! It's a miracle!

Malik: You _really _don't like them, do you?

MD: The way I see it, the cycle goes like this:

1. You like the dub, and probably even defend it

2. You discover the original version but continue to watch the dub because 

It's all you have

3. You get subtitled versions of the original and discover that the dub is 

even crappier than you thought.

MD: I'm still on step two.

Malik: I see. -_-U

****

NOTE: I'll be in Germany visiting my brother from about the 12-23, so don't expect another new chapter until probably early March or at best late February.

Malik: And you can't put another one up before then because….

MD: ….I'm lazy?

Malik: -__-U 

Review!


	9. Premonitions of Darkness

*MD's room, still cluttered with suitcases*

MD: Ryou, Malik I'm… I passed 100 reviews! *does the happy kuribo dance* W00T! *passes out plushies and Oreos* 

Malik: I do. NOT. Believe this.

MD: It means people like my story, Malik-chan!

Malik: That's what I don't believe.

MD: I'm so unloved. T__T

Q&A:

Lady Sliver Dragon:

MD: *sighs* I'll have at least one reviewer at my next fic then. I've narrowed it down to the koneko fic (guess my victim *evil laugh*), YGO/LOTR (I've noticed all the other ones are humor fics, T__T) or the time travel fic. (Ryou-chan in ancient Egypt, fun!) 

*whacks her for insulting the sacred anime of DBZ* Lord, another Trunks fan girl. Mirai Trunks may be a kick-ass fighter with that sword of his, but he's also kinda a sissy pretty-boy if you ask me. Of course, he's related to Vegita, so all is not lost. And Chibi Trunks wasn't so bad. *eyes widen* You have no Oreos! *gasps* Life is not complete unless you can eat Oreos while reading GMR. *hands her emergency Oreos* 

Akiko Koishii:

MD: I understand. I can't stand Anzu, yet Kazuki Takahashi-sama seems determined to make Anzu/Yugi a couple. *sighs* 

Shadows Girl12:

MD: All is forgiven, from me anyways…

CYD: *is throwing daggers rather accurately at Natina*

MD: Oh my…

Jou:

Malik: You just gave her an excuse to rant…

MD: Well, for one thing, you can almost always be sure if someone was 'sent to the Shadow Realm' in the dub, the died. I.e When Mai lost her shadow game to Marik-sama, she had 24 hours until she forgot everything, including how to breathe and beat her heart. And Marik-sama did NOT send Malik-chan's father to the Shadow realm, he stabbed him with the blade concealed in the Millennium Rod, (which was edited out.) I've never seen an actual episode, just screenshots and stuff…but as soon as I get the money I'll buy the boxed set of Battle City (only $24!) from dicountanimedvd.com. ^__^

Chattypandagurl:

MD: *throws confetti and Marik plushies* You're the 100th reviewer! ^__^ I know, but I like it spelled Atemu better.

MD: *glances at faves list* Wow, a lot of these people have never reviewed my stories….weird.

Next chapter! It's a little longer than usual as an apology for being gone.

----------------

Premonitions of Darkness

After eating approximately six dozen Oreos between the two of them and a gallon and a half of milk, Ryou and Malik finally surrendered the remaining Oreos to Seto (whoa, school must have taken a SERIOUS effect on the mind of our beloved bishounen,) and Yugi, who promptly began munching on them, stopping occasionally to hand some to the chibi Pharaoh and High Priest. Bad idea. Oreos might have a soothing effect on high school students, but on six-year-olds, well…

"WHY?" This was the question proposed by Ryou several hours later, approximately nine p.m. And the high school students were finding it harder than usual to put two certain chibies to bed. Well, three, actually. All the hyper activity around Marik seemed to give him enough buzz to start bouncing off the walls. And I do mean bouncing off the walls. Literally. They never did figure out how he managed it. Always the odd chibi out, Bakura was watching silently from the doorway. More like observing, really. His brown-red eyes seemed to take in every detail of the room. Marik was also different. He was playing a catch-me-if-you-can game with Seto and Malik, agilely dodging their attempts to grab him and making it look simple in the process. Ryou's eyes widened slightly as Marik executed a perfect back flip onto the couch. _Okay, he definitely did NOT learn that from anyone here._ He turned his eyes back to the show in time to see Malik collapse on the couch, partly in exhaustion, partly in frustration. Concerned, Marik stopped bouncing with a final artful flip off of the wall. He poked Malik cautiously. "Hikari-pretty?" (A/N: I swear that's what he calls him! Plus, now that he's older, I believe he's moved beyond his one-word nickname. Too bad for Malik. ^__~)

Malik seized the opportunity to grab hold of his bouncy yami, putting an end to his late-night acrobatics. Marik put up a small struggle before giving up, and snuggling against Malik's t-shirt. Malik stared blankly at the sleeping chibi leaning against him, turning a soft shade of pink. "Umm….I guess I'd better put him to bed then." He said hurriedly before rushing out of the room.

Yugi blinked. "What just happened?"

Seto chuckled and mussed Yugi's hair slightly. "Just another weird moment in the life of Malik Ishitar."

----

Malik sighed as he set Marik on the futon next to the bed. Or tried to, anyway. Marik had a death grip on his shirt. (A/N: Prepare your buckets, ladies!) So, Malik slipped of his shirt and let Marik have it. He could always get it back in the morning. Marik hugged it closer and rolled over, sighing happily. A piece of his gravity-defying hair flopped in front of his face, creating a somewhat comic effect, like a leaf in the wind. Malik sighed before retiring to bed himself. He couldn't exactly go back out now that Marik had possession of his shirt, now could he? He spent his last waking minutes watching the piece of Marik's hair flutter up and down, as his rhythmic breathing lulled him to sleep.

----

__

Judging from the heavy breathing/snoring, it is safe to go in now. Ryou cautiously pushed the door open, his yami following behind him like always. It was a bad idea to go into the room before Malik was asleep. Ryou had learned this a few days prior. We won't go into detail there. Let's just say Malik has VERY strange before bed habits… (A/N: Keep your minds out of the gutters, people!) Luckily for Ryou, Malik was by now snoring, the sheets wrapped around him from rolling over constantly. And, like usual, he was talking in his sleep. This night's rendition included killer Ra plushies and the return of the dancing cupcakes. Ryou sweat dropped, before moving to his futon on the other side of the room. Bakura was stumbling by this time, having been up for a good 18-20 hours to try and prevent the nightmares. It was the same one every night. His empty village, the sand drenched in blood and the tops of homes burning, the Pharaoh's army hacking down the last survivors. How he hated the Pharaoh… Soon his small body gave into exhaustion, and his brain shut down for the night. Then came the nightmares….

He was seven. Though he'd only been in the thieving business for three years or so, he'd made quite a name for himself, fueled by his hatred for the Pharaoh and everything he stood for, managing to elude the guards every time. He'd long since forgotten his real name. They called him the White Ghost…

They'd finally caught up with him this time, despite his best maneuvers. Panting for breath, his back to the soldiers he picked up a spear. There was no choice now. He turned, his eyes full of rage, all the pent up hatred coming out in one moment. Slash. Screams pierced the air. Slash. The sand became red. He stopped then, reminded of the bloody sand in his village. It was only then that his mind cleared, and he noticed the bodies lying around him. He'd killed them all. He held up shaking hands, dropping the spear. They were red, steeped with blood….the blood of his victims…he'd killed them…and he'd liked it.

"Bakura!"

Was that his name? He couldn't remember. Did he even have a name? He had no identity. He was just the White Ghost, who's only purpose was to make the Pharaoh as miserable as possible before he killed him. But the voice sounded so soft and comforting. Maybe he should listen to it.

"Bakura!"

Ryou was shaking his yami frantically. The boy had started shaking, his eyes had polled up in his eyes, and frankly, Ryou was terrified. But most terrifying of all was the appearance of Bakura's tell-tale scar, one line going down and two lines going across that. Suddenly Bakura's frame slumped and became still, soaked through with sweat. His eyelids drooped, then snapped open, the pupils thankfully visible. Unlike the other times his nightmares had occurred, he was not crying, but his eyes were empty and haunted, although he allowed Ryou to gather him up into his arms all the same. "Was it nightmares?" Ryou asked softly. Bakura nodded, and seeing Ryou was going to ask nothing more he relaxed slightly, burying his nose into his hikari's shirt just as Marik had, inhaling Ryou's comforting smell deeply. Sighing, Ryou leaned against the wall with practiced ease. How often had he had to sleep like that because of Bakura's nightmares? Resting his chin on Bakura's head, Ryou fell asleep, still concerned about the mysterious appearance of Bakura's scar.

---

Two rooms over, another chibi was having a nightmare. This one belonged to the High Priest, although his was more what you'd call a premonition. And unlike the tomb robber, Seito was merely an observer.

Seito opened his eyes to find himself hovering over the throne room. He'd only been there a few times in his life. Usually he was kept to his studies and accompanying Yami, the Pharaoh. There were two people standing in the depression in the middle of the room. They were playing with large stone tablets of some sort too. Seito leaned forward in excitement. A shadow game! He'd always wanted to play one, though he wasn't permitted to learn until he was older. His eyes widened as the players stepped out of the shadows into his line of view. He gasped, though no one seemed notice. That looked like him! And that looked like Yami! But why were they playing a shadow game against each other? Shadow games were notorious for the deadly consequences to the losers. He watched curiously as his look-alike ordered the stone tablet of a beautiful dragon to attack the Yami look-alike's monster. Seito's eyes widened. That monster. That looked like Mahaado*! There were so many questions unanswered. But already the scene was dissolving into darkness.

"SETO!" Seito woke in a sweat, disturbed by the scene that had played out before him. And his hikari was the most comforting pillar he could cling to at the moment. 

"Mmm?" Apparently not even Seto could create a snappy comeback when woken at two in the morning. Even more surprising was that Yugi and Yami had slept through it entirely.Apparently hating mornings and sleeping like logs go hand in hand.

"Seto!" Seito's voice was not as loud now, but still urgent in tone. Seto rolled out of the bed and over to Seito, yawning and brushing his shaggy bangs out of his eyes.

"Wha- you do know that it's two o-clock in the morning, right?" He wasn't really mad though. How could he be? Seito was the other half of his soul after all. "So, what is it?"

Seito sniffed before regaining his composure as best he could in true Kaiba fashion and recounting the dream. After he had finished, Seto was silent. Usually harsh and blunt though he usually was, Seto didn't have the heart to tell Seito he betrayed the person who was at this point the closest thing to a best friend. So he simply did his best to comfort Seito and put him back to bed, switching beds with him as a rare act of thoughtfulness. Floors aren't that comfortable after a nightmare, y'know. Seto sighed, covering himself with Seito's blanket before falling back to sleep, his ever stubborn bangs falling back over his eyes. He didn't notice the two now wakeful pairs of violet eyes watching him from the other side of the room. Yugi yawned. "Seto's really changed, huh Yami?"

Yami nodded mutely, more concerned about what had made his friend so upset. _Probably nothing._ He scolded himself silently. Nightmares often meant nothing at all. Didn't they?

---------------

*Mahaado is one of the seven priests who served the Pharaoh. He was also the original owner of the Millennium Ring before Bakura killed him and took it. He sacrificed his soul so he could serve the Pharaoh for eternity as the Black Magician

Bakura: *twitch*

Ryou: Yami, you're normal!

MD: Mmm hmm, I felt nice. So what's the problem Kura-sama?

Bakura: *points* What is HE doing here?!

MD: *shields Yami* It's Sky's fault! But you CAN'T dismember him!

Bakura: XD Traitor.

MD: Anywho, review!


	10. Eclipse of Soul

MD: Ohaiyo Minna-san! Ore-sama just got the boxed set of the battle city finals! She didshedidshedid! Wai!

Malik: Okay, you are officially banned from Nek0-chan's- hey, what happened to my voice?

MD: Ore-sama watched the sub, therefore you gain your sub voices.

Q&A:

Lady Silver Dragon:

Malik: Yes, MD loves Nek0-chan's fics. And it's affecting her speech too. Which REALLY grates on your nerves after a while.

Ryou: ^__^; You seem to be able to correct MD at every turn. Ah well, live and learn, ya know?

Akiko Koishii:

MD: Ore-sama is VERY glad you updated! Now do it again!

Juusan no Kikyo-chan:

MD: Ah, Ore-sama read an unwarned lemon once. In a vampire fic. The rest of the fic was good though.

Ryou: Well, that was a tiny Q&A.

Malik: Only because they all thought she disappeared off the face of the earth.

Ryou: _Anyway, _here's the next chapter.

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Eclipse of Soul

Marik woke to the warm scent of his hikari in his nose. He cracked open his dusky violet eyes only to have his vision filled by lavender. Malik's shirt, through the course of the night, had wound itself around Marik's head, leaving only his gravity-defying hair and the tip of his nose visible. Malik was still zonked out on the bed, sprawled over it with his arms and legs taking up at least ¾ of it. The blankets had worked their way down around his legs, giving poor Malik a mummified look. Marik snickered quietly as an idea struck him. He snuck onto the bed and curled up cat-like on Malik's chest. It would be good for a few yells on Malik's part once he woke up. Leaving the shirt wrapped his head, he closed his eyes contentedly. Life was good.

Only a few feet over from the fluffy scene, Ryou was still sleeping, Bakura leaning against him. Suddenly Bakura's body convulsed and his eyes snapped open, first white before the pupils slid to the front. He felt so cold, like an unearthly mist was separating him from the rest of the world. He wanted it all to go away. He wanted to be alone in the misery that had entrapped him in it's veil. Ryou was awake now, concerned eyes looking into his. He didn't want those eyes. They hurt. They forced him to feel, something he'd been trying to avoid since the attack on his village. So he did the first thing that his muddled brain thought of. He reached out and pushed hard against his light, separating the two and leaving what would be a bruise on Ryou's chest. Yet the angel continued to stare at him, sadness creeping into his worried eyes. 

"What's wrong, 'Kura?" He asked softly, reaching out a hand to Bakura's bangs from his eyes.

Bakura backed away from his hand, as though it might strike him. The angel was beautiful. Bakura backed further until he was near the door. 

"Get away!" He said angrily. It wasn't the angel he hated. The angel was beautiful. But the sight of him forced Bakura to feel. It made him weak. He hated weakness. "Stay away from me!"

Ryou's eyes were soft but the hurt was still visible. "Do you hate me, 'Kura-chan?"

Bakura choked. The angel was crying. This was worse than before! Dammit, he was going to soften…(don't ask me where he learned that at age ten…) "S-stop crying!" He began angrily, then cursed at himself again.

Ryou wiped his eyes unconsciously. _This is bad. He's just as bad as he used to be. There's got to be something I can do…but it's like I'm just confusing him more. _He sighed and put his head in his hands. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go…his yami was worse than he had been before…

Bakura was even more unnerved now. The angel was just sitting. His eyes had lost some luster as well. Was it his fault? Who cares? Even if it was, he didn't care and…who was he kidding? 

-----

Elsewhere

----

"Yami?"

Yugi yawned. Okay, this was definitely no longer funny. Seto was behind him in a (what else?) blue bathrobe, yawning and rubbing away the sleep left from getting up so early for his yami. He really was too nice sometimes.

Yugi, it turns out, is most _definitely_ not a morning person. I have said this before, but a person does not see the full extent of Yugi's non-morning-ness until you wake him up at 5 a.m and tell him his now nine-year-old yami (AN: I know that Yami & Bakura are the same age, but for the sake of the story…) was missing. Then you're lucky to get out with full possession of your head. Seto had found this out the hard way. 

"Of all the times," Yugi grumbled, "For my yami to stop being sensible and gain an ornery streak, he just HAD to do it at 5 a.m in the middle of DECEMBER!"

"Y'know," Seto said conversationally, "If your fan club found out about this early morning fix of yours, they might have second thoughts about you." 

Yugi snuggled his nose into his bathrobe, not having had the sense to get a coat. "Good. The sooner we get rid of them, the better. It's more my yami they like anyway. He's the one who does most of the dueling…"

Seto chuckled. He'd seen the fan club the pair had gained after their numerous tournament wins. "Trust me, they're quite obsessed with both of you. You, apparently, have the "cute and innocent" look going for you."

"Great. You're really lucky most people think you're a cold, hard, unfeeling jerk, y'know that?"

"Should I feel flattered?"

"Trust me, do all you can to keep the fan girls away. I've tried, but Yami says I'm too "adorable"…"

With that, the two of them turned their attention back to finding their other halves. Yugi shivered and pulled the bathrobe tighter around him. "M-maybe we s-should have gotten jackets."

At that moment both Pharaoh and High Priest, who had been watching the entire seen from a nearby bush, tackled their lights, knocking them into the snow. Which, of course, did not help Yugi's problem of being cold. Yami smiled at the boy on the ground, then shivered himself. He didn't think he liked this "snow" stuff. It was freezing. It had never been this cold in Egypt…

"Well," Seto stated calmly, giving the best you're-dead glare he could under the circumstances to his yami, "I take it you're over your nightmare?"

Seito could only nod, as he'd been rendered speechless by a strange combination of laughter and shivering. 

"That was fun!" Yami laughed, before sneezing and shivering harder.

"How long were you two out here?" Yugi asked sternly.

Seito shrugged, still recovering from his laughter. "Dunno. Long t-time though."

Yugi sighed, exasperated, before turning to the snow-covered CEO of Kaiba-Corp. "We should probably take them in before they get hypothermia."

"If I don't kill them first." Seto growled, but it was very hard for him to look threatening when he was covered head to foot in snow.

Yugi fought back a giggle. "Let's go in then."

Malik turned over, banishing the killer-Ra plushies from his mind. Or, tried to turn over anyway. There was a rather large weight on his chest that was pinning him to the bed. Cautiously he cracked open an eye, only to find…

"Surprise Hikari-pretty!" 

"Aaah!"

With this not so clever remark Malik tumbled off of the bed, taking Marik (AN: Ack, I feel a need to call him Yami-no-Malik now, but Marik's easier to type and I'm lazy…) and the blankets with him. He took a few deep breaths and glared at his darker half, fully ready to chew him out….

….Until he notices his own shirt wrapped around his head. Then all he could do was attempt to avoid hitting sharp objects as he fell on the floor in a state of hysterics. "What-what-" This was as far as Malik got however. Anymore lecturing would have cost him the loss of the last bit of air left in his lungs.

Marik grinned, pleased. His hikari-pretty was amused too! He should try this more often…

Noticing his hikari turn a rather unattractive shade of blue, however, he became concerned, and being the current holder of the much-prized Millennium Rod, hit him over the head with it.

"Hikari-pretty should stop laughing now." Marik said practically, before leaning up against his hikari for a few more minutes of sleep. Just a few more minutes… 

------------

MD: *re-watching subs* Okay, Pegasus' voice is freakin' DISTURBING.

Seto: *sourly* Pegasus in GENERAL was disturbing.

MD: You do have a point.

Hey! PLEASE go read Ore-sama's songfic? Onegai? It's review neglected.

Review!


	11. Angel Mine

MD: DAMMIT! I had this chapter half done and it disappeared! Aw well. I suppose that'll teach me to save more often.

Q&A:

Lady Silver Dragon:

MD: Huh. I guess it was mostly fluff. ^__^;;;;

You really like my fic! I'm so happy! But Shadow Realm Nursery puts my humble chibi fic to shame. You'd like it. It's even non-pairing.

Female- Yami/Yugi:

MD: Yes, Pegasus scares me. I might feel sorry for him if it weren't for the whole trapping-Seto-in-a-card thing.

Akiko Koishii:

MD: That's why I try to do one fic at a time. Easier to keep up updates. Ah well.

This chapter is a little sappy as I'm finishing things up with Ryou and Bakura. Fluff ahoy!

-----

Angel Mine

Bakura turned away uncomfortably, unable to meet the heart-broken angel's gaze. Ryou continued to look at him sadly, half-heartedly trying to wipe away the tears that streamed down his face. _He hates me. I love him more than anything in the world, in the universe, and he hates me!_

This sad mantra repeated over and over in Ryou's head, and Bakura caught it through the mind link he was still unaware of._ He loves me?!! How can he love me if we've never met? I've never met him! Have I? How can he trust me? I'm the greatest tomb robber in all of Egypt! I defiled the tomb of the former Pharaoh, and dragged his body to the palace! I could kill him in the blink of an eye! _But even as he thought it he knew that he wouldn't. He couldn't.

The angel continued to stare at him with broken eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. Slowly, not bothering to stand, he crawled towards the angel. When he was before him, he gently wiped away a silvery tear that had been working it's way down Ryou's cheek. 

"Kura-chan?" Ryou whispered.

Bakura said nothing, crawling into Ryou's lap even though the two were very nearly the same height. He leaned against his chest and inhaled deeply. "Sorry." He mumbled finally.

"Thank you." Ryou said, smiling gently as the tears subsided. "It means so much more, coming from you."

They stayed that way a long time, the two of them. Bakura finally broke the silence. 

"Angel," He said, "Why do you love me?"

Ryou blushed at the unexpected question, before realizing that Bakura actually wanted an answer. "I don't know yami. By all means, if the stories of your cruelty are true, I should hate you. You've killed more people in cold blood than I'd care to count, you're willing to do anything; theft, torture, mutilation, murder. By all means, it's easy to see why so many people hate you."

Bakura frowned, upset by the truth in the angel's words. 

"But," Ryou continued, "I think, that in your heart you're just a child who was forced to grow up too fast. So, blinded by your grief and rage, you did it the only way you knew how."

"You have a funny way of thinking, Angel." Bakura said.

Suddenly a rush of air filled the room. Ryou looked up in confusion. The windows were closed, as were the doors. And even though it was the middle of December, the air was pleasantly warm.

Ryou looked down, and gasped in shock. "K-Kura-chan!" He yelled in fright. For Bakura's body was surrounded by an un-earthly golden glow.

"Wh-Wha-" Bakura was just as bewildered, and perhaps a tad more frightened.

The golden glow intensified. Bakura's legs lengthened, closing the small distance of height between the two. The glow worked it's way up Bakura's body, until a fully grown Bakura stood before Ryou.

Although Bakura was once again the same age and height as Ryou, a few differences remained. Bakura's hair was shorter now, the tips only reaching his shoulders, and his skin was golden, much like Malik and Marik. The scar on his cheek remained, and he was clothed in the flowing red and white robe he had worn in Ancient Egypt.

He blinked. "Ryou-chan, where the hell am I?"

Ryou took a second to breathe before fastening his arms securely around Bakura's waist. "I was so worried Kura-chan. But you're normal now!"

Bakura grinned. Not his I'm-going-to-cut-you-into-a-million-pieces grin, but a plain, regular smile. "Better than okay Ryou-chan. Look at me! I'm my own person now. I even have my own body back!"

Ryou's eyes widened slightly. He looked up at his yami. "Does-does that mean you're going to leave? I couldn't bear it if you did! It would destroy me!" Tears pinpricked in his eyes.

Bakura knelt beside his hikari. "Listen to me." He said sternly, tilting Ryou's head towards him with one tanned finger. "You complete me. You're mine, my angel, my light. Even if I no longer depend on you to survive, I can't leave you. And I never will."

Ryou nodded slightly. "I know. I love you Kura-chan."

"I love you to, Angel."

And in the happiness between the two, there was silence.

Seto stirred his coffee grumpily. He had wondered if he should have followed Yugi's lead and gone back to bed after the escapade outside. Of course, after watching Yami fall on top of Yugi from exhaustion, he'd had to exit the room to keep from laughing hysterically. And after that he'd figured it would probably be better to keep his head and not disturb them.

He glanced at the form shuffling into the kitchen behind him. "isn't it against one of your natural laws not to be up before nine?"

"You can thank Ryou." Malik grumbled before slumping into the seat next to him, propping Marik against the wall as he did do. "God, I hate mornings."

"What about me Malik?"

Malik's hair stood on end as Ryou collapsed against his yami in a fit of giggles. "S-sorry Malik." He choked. "It was my yam's idea, and I just couldn't resist."

"I'm so glad you're amused." Malik grumbled, not bothering to look up as he teased the last few strands of his hair back into place.

Bakura casually leaned his elbow on Malik's bowed head. "My Malik, aren't you just the perfect height for an armrest."

"Shut up tomb-" Malik turned only to have his hair shoot skyward again. "What HAPPENNED?"

Bakura put on a face of mock hurt. "Don't you like my new look Malik?"

Malik didn't have the chance to reply before he fell over in a dead faint.

Yugi snuggled his nose into the pillow, reluctant to get up even though by now he could feel the sunlight on his closed eyelids. He rolled over and mumbled something about five more minutes, only to bump into a solid object. He opened his eyes slightly to find the slumbering face of Yami, although his arms and most of his hair were still on top of Yugi. The bump caused Yami to wake however, and crimson eyes met violet as the former Pharaoh yawned and stretched sleepily. 

"Mornin' Aibou."

"Yami, why are you on top of me?"

"Yami? My name's-" He paused. "Atemu. My name's Atemu." 

Yugi's eyes widened.

Realization dawned in Yami's eyes. "Aibou!" He said excitedly. "I remembered my name!"

Yugi nodded mutely, grinning.

Much like with Bakura, Yami's body began glowing faintly, accompanied by a rush of warm air. Though he wasn't very tall, he was, unlike Bakura, taller than Yugi, and when the glow faded, few differences remained, save for the golden color of his skin.

He pulled Yugi up. "I even have my memories now."

Yugi nodded. "It's wonderful Yami! I mean- Atemu." He whistled. "That's going to take some getting used to."

Yami laughed. "Don't worry Aibou. You've got an eternity. Now, what do you say to breakfast?"

-------

MD: Don't worry! I didn't forget about Marik and Seito! They'll be next chapter. And then I might have one or two chapters after that. And then this fic will be done! Rejoice all!

Malik: Does that mean you'll be done fic writing?

MD: Heck no! I just haven't decided what I'm doing next! I also have a sad lack of reader opinions.

Review!


	12. Completion

MD: *reading Beckett YGO Collector*…… *twitches slightly*

Malik: What?

MD: Malik-chan, I need to borrow the Millennium Rod.

Malik: And I should care because?

MD: *points to magazine* They call you annoying, sneaky, cowardly, whenever you lose you throw "hissy fits" AND they say Pegasus is a better villain than you.

Malik: *livid* Let's go.

MD: Oooh, can we take the motorcycle?

Malik: Okay fine.

MD: Ryou-chan, you and Bakura are in charge while we're gone.

Ryou: That's gonna get bloody. *sigh* Guess that means I'm in charge of the Q&A too.

Q&A:

Lady Silver Dragon:

Bakura: You're going to give the baka-authoress a swelled head.

Ryou: Hush Kura-chan! MD has a fluff obsession. ESPECIALLY when it comes to R/B. Um, lessee, what else…oh yeah, we're supposed to tell you that MD has a live journal now, and that you should visit.

Elf'd light:

Ryou: Um well, the thing is…this IS the sequel.

Aura Black Chan:

Bakura: The reason the ending to the last one was off was because MD was to much of a lazy-ass to type the extra chapter that was supposed to be the ending.

Ryou: Kura-chan! That's enough! *ties up with ribbons and throws in a closet*

Bakura: Ryou-chan! Let me out!

Ryou: I can't hear you…

Female- Yami/Yugi:

Ryou: *digs through mound of URLs* Here we go!

You might have to look around a little, but there's some nice fanart of Ancient Egyptian Bakura.

Ryou: That's all in the way of Q&A, so on with the next chapter!

----

Completion

Yugi tiptoed as silently as possible through the kitchen door as possible, turning around and putting his finger to his lips before quietly closing the door.

Leaning over Malik's chair, he grinned slightly before popping a balloon in his ear.

Obviously, today was not Malik's day. It had, however, succeeded in waking him up much better than any coffee. "God," he mumbled, rubbing his eardrums, "what is this, 'let's gang up on Malik day?'"

Yugi giggled. "Sorry Malik. You looked so half-asleep that I couldn't resist."

"Well," Malik said irritably, "Why didn't you decide to play a prank on my yami then? He actually IS asleep!"

"I like my head where it is thanks." Yugi replied sweetly.

"Go bother the Pharaoh then." Malik replied, rubbing his head.

Atemu took the opportunity to put his arm around Yugi's shoulder, using the other to lean on Malik's head. "My Aibou is incapable of annoying me, unlike some people that I could mention." He shot a look at Bakura who grinned devilishly, before turning back to Malik.

"Oh sure, you guys get nice, 'normal' darker halves, and we're stuck with the chibi terrors." Malik mumbled.

"Oh come on," Ryou protested, "They can't be _that _bad!"

Marik, meanwhile, had managed to grab hold of Malik's leg in his sleep, and merely growled and tightened his grip when Malik tried to pull away. Malik raised an eyebrow. "You wanna bet money on that?"

Ryou sweat dropped before turning to Seto. "Seto?" He said, in a kind of half pleading voice.

"Don't look at me." Seto responded, turning back to the newspaper. His yami was currently experimentally sipping the CEO's coffee. He made a disgusted and quickly placed it back on the table.

Seto smirked slightly. "They do have their adorable moments." He said grudgingly.

Yugi hid a knowing smile behind his hands, before going in search of some high sugar content cereal. Atemu hurried after him, knowing full well what would happen if he found any.

Ryou left as well, muttering something about 'last minute Christmas shopping' and dragging Bakura behind him. This left Malik, Seto, and the chibies alone. Seto sighed slightly. Seito had 'accidentally' broken his laptop yesterday, although Seto suspected it had been 'accidentally-on-purpose'. How many times had his yami pestered him that they should spend time together? And equally coincidentally, he'd discovered his dismantled laptop very shortly after this conversation. One can only imagine the trouble Seto had controlling the urge to strangle the life out of his darker half. It was the chibi eyes. Not even cold, calculating, merciless Seto Kaiba could resist the pull of chibi eyes. Which is why Mokuba uses them so often. 

Seto closed his eyes in a half-attempt to block out the chibi eyes Seito was giving him now before giving in. "Alright, fine, we'll go shopping."

"Kr-ist-miss shopping!" Seito corrected cheerfully, trying out the new word.

Seto rolled his eyes and didn't reply. 

Seito grabbed his lighter half's arm and hauled him out of the room eagerly. "It'll be fun!" He said excitedly.

Marik finally opened his eyes sleepily as the kitchen door banged shut. He squeezed them hurriedly shut again, trying to block out the _evil _light that was blinding him. "Hikari-pretty!" He moaned in annoyance. "Make it go 'way!"

Malik didn't move from his chair. "It's _way _past time for you to be up anyway."

"But it's BRIGHT!" Marik hissed, hiding under another one of Malik's shirts, the other having been taking back by a very red Malik.

"Sounds like a personal problem to me." Malik went back to munching on his stash of Oreos, which he'd taken out as soon as he was sure Yugi was safely away from the kitchen.

Marik looked at the Oreos. Hikari-pretty always got those out when he was upset. His fault? Must be. He made Hikari-pretty mad? (A/N: Marik's speech is always so fun to write! ^_^) Yes? Yesyesyes. He must make Hikari-pretty feel all better. How? Don't know. But make much better.

Malik looked over at his yami. _Uh oh, he's wearing the 'evil plotting face'. _"What're you thinking?" He asked suspiciously.

Marik looked at his hikari in panic. Hikari-pretty must not find out yet! He got up, making shooing motions with his hand. "Hikari-pretty must go!" He said urgently.

Malik blinked, a little hurt. Had he done something to upset his yami? If he had, he'd have to make it up to him somehow.

And so the two halves began to plot.

Bakura shivered, blowing on his hands slightly to keep them warm. His Egyptian body definitely did not like cold. Ryou had practically laughed himself silly at the sight of his psychotic yami dressed in two sweaters, gloves, hat, a coat and a scarf. 

"It's not that cold 'Kura-chan!" He said cheerfully the only sign of the weather being two pink spots on his cheeks. But he often sported those anyway, especially around Bakura.

"Let's just get the shopping done, alright?"

"Can do 'Kura-chan! Remember, we're meeting Yugi and Atemu at the café at one!" Ryou said as he turned to go.

"Hey, where are you going?!"

Ryou turned back around and put his hands on his hips. "Do you honestly think I'm going shopping for you while you're with me?"

"…"

"I didn't think so. Remember, don't be late!"

Bakura shivered in the street, wondering what he had done to deserve this.

Ryou scanned the walls of the shop, wondering if it was a good idea for him to be here. True, the shop absolutely screamed 'Bakura', but it was also where thugs and gangsters were likely to be found. Ryou turned to leave when something on the wall caught his eye. It was a curved dagger, made of sparkling silver with a sapphire hilt. Granted, he wasn't exactly in favor of giving his yami sharp objects -he'd practically killed Malik when he'd given Bakura a 12 inch kitchen knife last year- but it just seemed so _perfect. _

And if he had to defend himself with it on the way home, well- Bakura would probably appreciate a little blood, right?

Back within the warmth of the apartment, Marik checked his plan again. Everything looked fine but- maybe just one more check. 20 minutes later, he confirmed that everything was in place, for sure. If this didn't cheer his Hikari-pretty up, nothing would. 

Malik, meanwhile, had a plan of his own. If Ryou and Yugi where going to be gone, that gave him the opportunity to make lunch for just the two of them. Granted, Isis hadn't taught him to cook much…okay, so Ramen was the only thing he could cook without blowing something up. Minor setback. Right?

Wrong. Still, Malik managed to emerge from the kitchen half an hour later, carrying two plates of pancakes (Hey, if nothing else, make breakfast!) and a grin on his face.

…Right into the trap Marik had made to catch the Pharaoh. Marik's eyes widened as he came around the corner, only to find his Hikari-pretty hanging upside down, syrup dripping from his hair onto the floor.

His mouth dropped. "Hikari-pretty! Is Hikari-pretty mad? Bet he is. Very very mad. Very sorry, yesyesyes." He bowed low to the ground in homage.

And in spite of it all, Malik started to laugh.

Seto staggered slightly under the packages that his yami had bought. Or rather, conned him into buying. Damn puppy eyes.

"Seto! Look! Let's go here!" 

Seto rolled his eyes, definitely not for the first time that day. His yami was just like a little kid at, well…Christmas! He smiled in spite of himself. He used to be like that.

Seito didn't miss the smile. Maybe his hikari was finally cheering up. Next stop: lunch.

"C'mon hikari! I bet we can meet the others at the café!"

Seto sighed. "Sure, why not? I've already spent practically my entire fortune, why not spend the rest?"

Seito grinned at Seto's joke. His plan _was _working! "Let's go then!"

Seto followed behind, carrying the Christmas gifts. Maybe holidays weren't so bad after all. He hurried slightly to catch up with Seito. Maybe, just this once, it would be okay to enjoy himself.

---

*6 hours later*

Ryou: Where ARE they?

MD & Malik: You called?

Ryou: Where have- you're covered in BLOOD!

MD: We decapitated a few columnists. It was fun. ^__^

Ryou: I fear for your sanity…

MD: You're several years late, I'm afraid. Where's Kura-chan?

Ryou: Um…in the closet….

Malik: O__o Wearing RIBBONS?

Ryou: That's a long story…

Next chapter: Gift giving and fluff. 

Just a Note: Marik and Seito's changes get less flare, 'cause I was tired of writing the scenes. It's more…natural. You'll see next chapter.

Review!


	13. SugarSnow

MD: Hiya peeps!

Malik: yawn She lives!

MD: Hey, cut me a break. I had to go to my Onii-san's graduation! He got a Master's Degree. I is proud of him.

Malik: And you couldn't start this before you left because?

MD:…..Shut up.

Bakura: has escaped from closet God it's hot in there. When I find Ryou….

Ryou: Aw, don't be mad at me Kura-chan. Pweeze? puppy eyes

Bakura: Must not look….. Damn.

Ryou:

Q&A:

Anime Crazed:

MD: Well, actually, since it translates literally as "pretty light"….he might. I'd say Malik-chan's more pretty than handsome anyway, wouldn't you?

Malik: Hey!

Sirithiliel:

MD: Yay-ness!!! hands over bag of cookies Thank you!

Silvie-chan:

MD: Hey, you got your name changed. Cool-ness. Actually, I got the ideas from a pic of Ryou wrapped up like a Christmas present. Very kawaii.

Female-Yami/Yugi:

MD: Oh, YAY! We've got a killer stock of flamethrowers to add to the pot, too.

Hey…looks at chappie The sites I gave you didn't show up! Oh well. If you really want them tell me and I'll email them to you.

DarkFlame136:

MD: hands DF a cookie Good for you! Who knows, maybe you'll finish one someday.

Firepheonixangel13:

MD: OO;;;;;;;; Oh sure. Who does that leave for me? Noa?

Noa: waves

Seto: When did HE get in here?

MD: cough Well, I got my boxed set of the Noa Arc recently, you see….which is the other reason I haven't updated….;;;;;;

Seto: glare

MD: Don't give me that look Seto-chan! He's _adorable _and technically he's your brother.

MD: Hey! I'm gonna make 150 reviews! Yay-ness! parties

On with the next chappie!

----

Sugar-Snow

Ryou giggled at the sight of his yami, curled up in the corner of the booth, holding a cup of coffee and eyeing it warily. His tongue was also slightly out, burned reddish from heat. Hence the reason he was giving his coffee glares.

"I tried to warn you!" Ryou said, attempting to sound reprimanding and failing miserably.

"You didn't tell me it would be so damn HOT!"

"I told you to blow on it a bit first. Since you're not used to hot drinks…"

"And you are the one who said you wanted to warm up." Atemu said with a smirk.

"Shut it oh high-and-mighty one." Bakura snarled, which was more funny than threatening considering his tongue was still sticking out.

Yugi slid off his seat, laughing, and had to have Atemu help him back up, where upon he joined his Hikari in laughing hysterically at the tomb robber.

"Not funny." Bakura said sourly, turning a slight shade of pink.

"Oh, don't pout Kura-chan." Said Ryou, wiping a tear of laughter away. "You know we didn't mean it."

Bakura just stared moodily at the table ahead of them, causing the people sitting there to quickly exit the cafe. Bakura glared at them as they left for good measure.

A large pile of walking shopping bags, formerly known as Seto, caught the tail end of Bakura's glare as he entered the café. "What'd I ever do to you?" He asked before setting down the bags with a heavy sigh. "There's gotta be $600 worth of stuff here. And that's not even COUNTING all the stuff Mokuba wanted."

"Did I overdo it?" Seito asked sheepishly, resting his head on his hikari's shoulder.

"Um, maybe a little bit." Ryou said. "What are you two doing here anyway? ….Oh God, don't tell me you left Malik and Marik alone in the apartment WITH ACCESS TO SHARP OBJECTS?"

Seto sweat dropped as his yami hid behind him. Bakura had said it best once: "Ryou may be the cutest thing on the face of the planet, but Gods help the soul he's mad at."

Seito gulped. "Heh heh. Oops?"

Ryou's face darkened and the few people still left after Bakura's glaring spree decided it would be a good idea to evacuate. Right away. "How can you say 'oops'?" He stormed. "My apartment could be charred ruble right now!" He stormed out quickly, Bakura & Co. deciding to follow him and keep him from harming whatever poor individual happened to be in his way. It was amazing how very Bakura-like soft-spoken Ryou could be.

"Has he done this before?" Atemu asked breathlessly, having to take longer than normal strides due to height constraints.

"Once. It was right after his imoto died. They practically had to put the driver in the hospital, which is a big deal, considering he was about ten at the time." (A/N: Yes, I'm bending the truth here. But I needed Ryou to have the Ring by then.) Bakura said.

"Oh, and I'm sure you didn't help with that at all." Seto said sarcastically.

"Maybe I lent him a bit of my weapon skills, subconsciously…"

"That's what I thought."

"Hey, he was doing fine on his own. Trust me, it was worse then."

Yugi, who was having an even harder time keeping up than Atemu (hey, he's only 5 ft.), tripped into Bakura at that point, sending both of them toppling into the snow.

When Bakura managed to sit up, the others had a very hard time distinguishing between his hair and the snow that was melting in it. He swore as he cleared the last of it from his eyes. "Great. We lost Ryou."

"He's probably heading back to the house." Seto pointed out.

Atemu snickered. "Luckily for you he's more concerned with making sure nothing's on fire than killing you for doing something so stupid."

Meanwhile, back at said apartment, Malik and Marik were indeed burning something. The thing in question, however, was fairly harmless since the were burning them out side. I say fairly because they were firecrackers.

Malik whistled appreciatively as Marik's shot over the apartment complex in a shower of blue sparks. "Nice. But I bet I can do better."

He kneeled to pick up a fairly large green one when a deceptively cheerful voice sounded behind them. "You do know fireworks are illegal, right?"

Malik eeped and hid the mini rocket behind his back as he turned to face Ryou. "Um, Hi! I can er-"

"However," Ryou continued, cutting him off. "Since you weren't shooting them inside my house, I'll pretend I didn't see it…"He paused "And 'accidentally' tell you that there's a couple of open windows near the left side of the courtyard."

Malik smirked as Ryou walked back inside, whistling happily. Bakura was definitely a bad influence on him.

Bakura opened the front door silently, expecting to find some blood or a few broken objects at least. Instead, he was greeted with Christmas songs from the radio and a sweet smell drifting from the kitchen. Ryou peeked his head out at the sound of footsteps.

"Welcome back, you guys! I'm sorry if I sort of lost my temper at the café. So I thought I'd make lunch instead."

Malik came in at that point, completely intact and smiling devilishly, Marik in tow. "Man, that was hilarious! You should have seen their faces! Thanks for the advice, Ryou!"

Bakura raised an eyebrow quizzically, but Ryou said nothing. Bakura finally shook his head. "I probably don't want to know." He muttered.

Atemu woke early the next morning to find a large pair of violet eyes staring at his, starry eyed. "Come on!" Yugi whispered cheerfully. "It's Christmas! You can sleep later."

Atemu was about to point out that there was no Christmas in Egypt, therefore he was entitled to sleep in, but by then Yugi had dragged him into the living room. Malik clicked a stopwatch as they sat down. "10 minutes, 35 seconds. You're losing your touch Yugi."

Yugi stuck his tongue out at the Egyptian as Seto sat down with a cup of coffee, having been dragged awake by his yami. Said yami also sat down, carrying a high sugar content glass of hot chocolate. "It's cold in the mornings here." He said, yawning.

Seto sweat dropped. "Uh, yeah, that would be because it's 5:33 AM."

Ryou and Bakura, meanwhile, where still sleeping, Ryou leaning his head against Bakura's chest. He opened one eye cautiously, making sure his yami was still asleep, before slipping out the door. He recovered the dagger he'd gotten earlier from a closet, figuring it would be safer to have it with him than risk Marik finding it. There'd be blood all over it before he'd have a chance to give it to Bakura. At the same time, Bakura was also awake, having been awakened by the weight lifting from his chest. He knew Ryou was gone without even opening his eyes. Where had he gone to? It was still incredibly early. Unlike the Pharaoh, however, he was used to it. He'd spent many a day catnapping for only a few hours running from guards. Any longer than that and you risked losing a limb.

He came out of his thoughts long enough to here noise from the living room. He groaned and hid his head under the pillow. It was much to early for such noise, even if he was awake. He gave up eventually, stalking into the living room with a glare on his face. Ryou was already there with the others, sleepy but smiling. Bakura grinned. The boy always did seem to be wearing a smile.

"Well, look who's up." Atemu said, his eyes still only semi open.

"More awake than you."

"Kura-chan, could you come outside for a minute?" Ryou asked, moving towards the door. Bakura blanched at the thought of the cold air but followed him anyway.

The air in the courtyard was indeed, freezing. The wind was whipping snow through the air, making little ice showers. Bakura shivered. The sooner they were inside, the better. "So," He chattered, "Did you need to tell me something?"

Ryou nodded, holding out a small blue-and-silver wrapped parcel. "Um…This is for you 'Kura-chan."

Bakura raised an eyebrow as he took the package. "What for?"

"It's Christmas 'Kura-chan! It's tradition to give people you care about something special."

Bakura mentally hit himself. _Oh shit. _ It wasn't exactly his fault that he hadn't been listening when Ryou had explained why they were going shopping. He had been extremely fascinated with the very expensive necklace belonging to the person next to them. Or, used to belong to him, anyway. _That's it! _Quietly as he could, he pulled the necklace out of his back pocket. Luckily, it wasn't too girly. Just a simple gold chain with a pale violet crystal hanging from it.

"Um, this is for you." He said awkwardly, shoving the necklace towards him.

Ryou's eyes sparkled slightly as he took it. "It's _wonderful_, Kura-chan!" He paused. "You didn't steal it, did you?"

Bakura just grinned sheepishly.

Ryou smiled, fastening the clasp around his neck so that it hung beside the Ring beneath his shirt. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that, just this once. Open yours!"

Bakura glanced at the smallish package, before tentatively removing the paper. He blinked once. Twice. Nope, he wasn't hallucinating. Ryou had gotten him a dagger. _Ryou. _And it was a nice dagger to boot. He struggled to find his voice. "W-wow, Ryou-chan. Are you sure it was _you _that bought this?"

"Against my better judgment. I'm glad you like it."

Meanwhile, Malik & Co. were watching the entire thing from the window. "We really shouldn't be watching this, you guys. Bakura's gonna be mad."

Malik snorted, not looking away. "Like they'll catch us. Tomb Robber's pretty dead to the rest of the world."

Atemu nodded, standing on tiptoes in an attempt to see over his cousin's shoulder. "Seito, move! You're to tall!" He glanced at Yugi. "Don't worry Aibou. They won't see us."

"Hikari-pretty never gets caught!" Marik added confidently.

Malik sweat dropped. Then an idea hit him. "Oi, Seto, hand me that mistletoe and some string…"

Ryou and Bakura stood as still as statues, not sure what to say. Bakura noticed first. "Hey, Ryou-chan, what's that above your head?"

Ryou looked up and blanched. "M-mistletoe."

"And that should mean something to me because?"

"W-well, ah,"

Malik rolled his eyes, shouting from his perch on the windowsill. "Just kiss him already!"

And Ryou did.

----

And that, folks, as fluffy as I get. But it's still so adorable.

O.o 8 pages. whistles Wow. That's gotta be some kind of record for me.

MD: hums along happily to YGO Mp3

Malik: That girl is truly a ditz. Especially after fluff.

MD: But I'm a happy ditz Malik-chan! hugs

Malik: Oo

Review!


	14. Sweet Endings

MD: looks at date AUUUGHHHHHH! OhMiGod. I'm SO sorry you guys! ReallyreallyreallyREALLY sorry. I've just been really busy….my nieces were staying at our house….our town FINALLY got an anime club (thanks to them, I officially love Slayers.) And……..I had my birthday! July 3.

Malik: Congrats. You people are now reading the works of a _14 _year old psycho instead of a _13 _year old psycho.

MD: whacks You hush.

Ryou: Anyway, we're all sorry about the late update….except Malik….

Malik: XD

MD: looks down!!!!! Too many! .

Ryou: I guess this means we're stuck with the Q&A….

Q&A:

Akiko Koishii:

Malik: pokes Summer's almost over! Where's the update?!

Ryou: Malik, be nice! It's been busy here too, and she did update….even if the fic disappeared….

Malik: Took long enough.

Ryou: whacks

Sirithiliel:

Malik: Ha! Take THAT Tomb Robber! XD

Marik: growl My Hikari-pretty.

Ryou: Oh dear….this could get ugly……

Ichigo:

Both: hide The demands of rabid reviewers….scary.

Ryou: That's all for the Q&A. So we'll shut up and let you guys enjoy!

Sweet Endings

Malik shivered, shaking his hair out of his eyes. "T-this is your fault yami, you know that, right."

Marik shook his head. "Was Hikari-pretty who yelled at Tomb robber's hikari-pretty."

"But _you're _the one that put me up to it. Therefore, it's your fault."

The two blond Egyptians carried out this entire conversation while large amounts of blood flowed to their heads, due to the fact that Bakura had hung both of them upside down from the Sakura tree in the courtyard, but now before relieving both of them of their shirts, and Marik's cape. He would have tried out his new dagger too, if not for Ryou's coaxing and his own state of practically unearthly bliss.

Marik sniffled. "Ore-sama thinks his nose is bleeding…."

"Well, you and the tomb robber'll match then."

Marik sniggered, then sneezed, causing blood to dribble onto the floor.

Ryou winced from his perch next to Bakura in the window. "Maybe you should let them down now 'Kura-chan…..I mean, it's bad enough you shredded Marik's cape."

"It looks better as a scarf on you anyway." Bakura argued stubbornly.

"Still."

"But Ryou-chan! It's _funny_!"

"Not if we have to pay for their hospital bills it's not."

Bakura sighed. "Fine." He leaned over backwards to face Yugi. "You can cut them down now."

Yugi, who had been glaring at both Bakura and Atemu (who also found it incredibly funny) for the past hour, sighed in relief. "I was afraid my eyes were gonna stick like that." He mumbled on the way out.

"And I was afraid I was gonna be sleeping on the couch for the rest of eternity." Atemu said, following Yugi out the door.

"Oi, now you know not to spy on the King of Thieves, huh?" Bakura yelled down into the courtyard with a smirk. He nearly fell out of the window himself as both Malik and Marik fell into the mound of snow-slush beneath the tree, then ran inside, identical looks of frozen horror on their faces.

Malik sneezed as he pulled on a sweater over his trademark purple shirt. "Damn." He sneezed again. "Damn damn damn. This is gonna mean a week in bed at least. And the Tomb Robber's gloating isn't going to help."

"Hikari-pretty has to stay in bed?" He grinned. "Ore-sama will take care of Hikari-pretty!"

Malik briefly entertained the thought of Marik in a nurse's outfit before going back to wringing the water out of his hair. He couldn't seem to keep it clean lately…

He threw the towel onto a nearby chair, frustrated slightly. Being hung outside had given him a long time to think. Especially about his Onee-sama's engagement. He still didn't like it one bit. His face puckered into a frown as he slumped against the wall. This was NOT his day. Scratch, that, week. Month? Who cares. The point was he still couldn't get over the fact that he was going to be related to a guy he couldn't stand. He absentmindedly began tracing the ground with his toe. Stupid. This was all stupidstupidstupid. Stupid weather, stupid Tomb Robber, stupid wedding, stupid everything! He slammed a hand against a nearby wall, before remembering that it was made of concrete. "OWWWWW!" He waved his red enlarge Ned hand around, attempting to dull the pain. He sighed, putting his hand in a pile of snow that had been melting off of the window….and on to his pants. Malik blinked. "Shit!" Well, at this rate, it wasn't like much more could go wrong. He threw his latest pair into the washer.

At this point Marik looked up from what had been a frantic search for his dearly loved (and dearly departed) cape, noticing Malik with his head in his hands. He poked him slightly. Malik swatted his hand away irritably. Well, that hadn't changed. So Marik decided on option two: stare at the victim until things become so awkward that they talk to you. Of course it took Malik about 2 minutes to notice him, after which he promptly fell out of his chair. "Don't DO that!"

"Hikari-pretty is sad. Ore-sama is gonna make him feel better."

Malik shook his head in disbelief. "It's amazing. You're back to normal, but you still act like a little kid."

Marik tilted his head to the side. "Ore-sama isn't any different than before."

Y'know, Malik thought, _he's right. That's why laughs when he tortured his victims. When he talked of death and pain and suffering. He just like a little kid. A very WARPED little kid, but still…. _(A/N: That's MY theory anyway. Not to say he's dumb or anything, he just get's a little kid's enjoyment out of killing stuff.)

Marik scanned Malik's thoughts briefly through their mind link (which they still shared despite separate bodies) and nodded happily. "And Ore-sama's gonna help Hikari-pretty feel better!"

"There's not much you can do, short of crashing the wedding." Malik said, never stopping tracing the pattern on the ground.

Marik shook his head and tapped the blonde hard on the nose, as if to scold him. "That would make Isis Onee-sama sad. Ore-sama can't do that. But Ore-sama can be with you."

Malik unconsciously wiped away a tear that had formed in his left eye. He hadn't been thinking of Isis at all. Now who was being stupid?

He leaned against the wall, no longer trying to stop the tears flowing down his cheeks. Marik crawled over next to him, laying a head on his shoulder. Malik smiled, his bangs casting shadows over his eyes. "Thanks."

Ryou sighed dejectedly. Here it was, Christmas, and all he could think about was his father coming to visit. He pulled his makeshift purple scarf tighter and walked out to brave the g-force winds long enough to get the mail. Why were they even having the mail delivered on Christmas anyway? And WHY did the mailbox have to be OUTSIDE? He lived in an apartment! And….he was talking to himself again. He really needed to stop doing that. _Let's see….junk, junk, bill, bill……letter?_

Ryou turned the letter over in his hands. There were grains of sand stuck in the seal and the evelope itself was sand stained. Well, that solved that. That and the fact that it was postmarked from Egypt. Ryou shook slightly as he opened the letter. _More bad news probably…_He shook his head. Since when was he such a cynic?

Dear Ryou,

I'm afraid something has come up…..

Ryou rolled his eyes _And the next line will be…_

….And I'm afraid I won't be able to come to visit. (A/N: This is my other theory that Ryou's father is a neglectful bastard. But that's just me.)_ It seems our guide decided to take a few weeks of vacation._

Shaadi is playing tour guide now? Oh boy….

He shook his head, throwing the letter onto the kitchen table as he entered the apartment. This certainly saved him a lot of explaining. He collapsed in to a chair, putting his head in his hands. Then why did he feel so….disappointed? Things were easier this way. No hassle, no explanations, no having to introduce Bakura. _Which is a GOOD thing. _He reminded himself. Before, Bakura had looked like him. Now what was he supposed to say? _Well, this tall, gorgeous Egyptian just wandered off the street one day…….Now would be a good time to get the Oreos. Provided Malik hasn't already eaten them all._

He sighed as the cupboard door yielded a completely empty shelf. So much for the Oreos. Or, possibly Malik had hidden them somewhere. Either way, he wasn't going to get any. When Malik wants something hidden, it STAYS hidden. Usually due to the fact that he tends to forget where he put whatever it is he hid. So, the Oreos would probably reappear several months later (what was left of them), in some place like the garbage disposal. Which is NOT by an means an exaggeration. A certain memory of when Malik hid his orange soda by dumping it into the plumbing comes to mind. That came to an ugly head when Bakura tried to take a shower….

Ryou smiled at the memory. Bakura running into the kitchen with sticky, oddly angular hair, demanding the Grave keeper's head. Never a dull moment.

"Ryou, what're you doing in here?"

"…With out the Tomb Robber?"

Ryou didn't even look up from his view of the kitchen table. "Hi Yugi, Atemu."

Yugi pulled out the second seat across from Ryou, picking the letter up as he did. "What's this?" He scanned over it, Atemu reading over his shoulder (only two chairs, don't ya know). "Is…this what's bothering you? I thought you'd be happy."

"Well, I _am _happy, sort of. It's not so much that he's not coming as that he always tends to back out of seeing me at the last minute."

Yugi smiled. "Don't be sad. You've got your friends, right?"

Ryou shook his head. "Yugi, you have GOT to stop hanging around Anzu."

Yugi blinked. "What did I say?"

Atemu looked up from his head rest (a.k.a Yugi's hair). "Aibou, I think those friendship speeches are rubbing off on you."

Yugi blinked for a few more seconds, before turning the same shade as Bakura's robe. "S-sorry." He stuttered.

"Don't worry Aibou! I stopped with the Heart of the Cards speeches! You'll get better." (A/N: Yes, I am shamelessly making fun of the dub here. They deserve it.) Ryou shook his head again. He should probably leave. Maybe he'd go find Malik and force him to get the Oreos. Ah, why not?

On the way, (he was following whatever noise was most destructive sounding), he saw Seto and his (fully grown and six foot) yami sitting on the couch, watching TV. "Well, you two seem to be getting along fairly well."

Seito craned his head backwards. "We made a deal. I don't mess with Seto-chan's flat computer-thing, and he'll help me keep Marik from stealing MY item."

Ryou sweat dropped.

Seto grimaced, twitching slightly. "I thought part of the deal was that you'd stop call in me Seto-_chan_."

"Awww," Seito argued, "But it sounds so CUTE Seto-chan!"

Seto shook his head, throwing his hands in the air in a _Why me? _gesture. "Fine. I give up."

Ryou giggled, smiling in spite of himself. It was REALLY hard to keep a bad mood going around here. He found Malik (and of course, Marik) sitting on a chair in the basement, watching the dryer intently.

"What are you doing?"

It was only after he'd said this and noticed Marik's bulging eyes that he remembered he'd left his scarf on. He smiled. "Oops…" He began slowly backing out of the room, which turned into a full blown sprint several seconds later, the two Egyptians hot on his heels. Which was quite a spectacle, considering Malik was still in his boxers. "I didn't do it!" He yelled over his shoulder, taking the stairs two-three at a time. "Bakura!" He screamed. Maybe taking the steps four at a time would be a better idea.

Bakura leaned over the railing several floors up, a spoon sticking out of his mouth and a pint of strawberry ice cream in his hand. "What is it, Ryou-chan?" He failed to notice the angry blondes chasing after his beloved hikari.

"I could use some help down here!" Ryou tripped sliding head first into a wall. _This is gonna hurt in the morning. _Malik and Marik stopped behind him gasping for breath.

"Hey, what are you two doing?"

__

Oh, NOW he notices? Ryou thought, afraid to move from his spot smashed against the wall.

Bakura jumped over the railing, landing catlike on his feet. "You wouldn't happen to be chasing my hikari, would you hmm?"

Malik sweat dropped, backing way a few steps. Marik however, now that he was back to full size, was unfazed. "Tomb Robber's Hikari-pretty is wearing Ore-sama's cape!" He said, glaring.

"Oh, that reminds me," A sadistic grin graced Bakura's face. "I never DID finish punishing you for spying on me."

Malik squeaked, and managed to take a few more steps back before Bakura tackled them, creating a giant cartoon-style dust cloud that rolled down and down and down to the basement of the apartment complex.

Ryou rubbed his nose slightly as he watched the giant dust cloud. Maybe he wasn't so sad after all.

--6 weeks later--

Malik pulled irritably at the sleeves of his white tuxedo. "The wedding's over! Why am I still wearing this?"

"Oh, you'll live Malik." Ryou replied, sitting calmly in his identical white suit. "Besides, wasn't it a beautiful wedding?"

"Yeah, sure." Malik mumbled. It had been nice. And he'd never seen his sister so happy before. Shaadi had even been….nice. Which was disturbing in itself. What was even MORE disturbing is the fact that he had hair under that turban of his. Oh well. It wasn't a disaster. Marik had to grab the back of his jacket to keep him doing anything stupid several times, but it wasn't a disaster. And now it was over. The wedding, the reception, the cake, the whole shebang. He lived, he hadn't killed anybody, and that was a pretty good cake. However, why Isis had wanted a western style wedding was beyond him. Oh well.

He continued wrestling with the buttons on his suit, before giving up and cutting it off with the Millennium Rod. "Much better." He sighed, then stopped.

"Ah, Malik? You know it's February, right?"

Malik took a few seconds to take this in before he began shivering. "C-cold." He chattered.

"Uh yeah, that's what we were trying to tell you."

"S-shut up."

Malik dove under the warm covers in his bedroom (he was staying with Ryou, since Isis had basically taken over their house), glad to be someplace warm. _Much better . _He was completely happy and content. So of course the phone rang. He was muttering curses under his breath as he answered. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Ishitar? I think we have something that belongs to you. We caught him setting fire to trashcans"

"Tall, blonde hair, purple eyes?"

"Yes."

"yep, he's mine. I'll be there in a minute."

Malik yawned, and reached for his coat. Well, at least things were back to normal.

MD: munching happily on Pocky

Malik & Ryou: --;;;;

Ryou: As you may have noticed…

Malik: This is the end of miss psycho's little chibi fic.

Ryou: thwacks Malik w/ interdimensional hammer of DOOM Would it kill you to be nice?

Malik: Maybe. If that doesn't I'm sure you'll take care of it.

MD: Any who, strawberry pocky and plushies to all who reviewed and I hope to see you at my next fic! I've been toying with the idea of an AU for a while. Ryou/Kura of course.

Malik: mutter What makes them so special?

MD: Oh hush, you'll be in it too. You guys and your lovely psycho other halves are the only people I can write remotely well.

Bye!


End file.
